Marvel One-Shots
by Shadows in the Clouds
Summary: A series of one-shots mostly focused around our favourite Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist and how crazy life seems to be. Each story is different and includes a summary, pairing, and rating. Enjoy!
1. Fun Sized

During a fight with Loki, the Avengers are de-aged. While SHIELD tires to figure out a way to reverse the damage Loki did, Agent Phil Coulson takes it upon himself to give the tiny Avengers the opportunity to just be kids. So that means Trick or Treating! Minor Steve/Tony. Rated T

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Hi there friends. This is my story for the stevetony-halloween-exchange for temporary-teddycup, who requested to be surprised! So with that, I present to you…

FUN SIZED

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS?!" came a shout from down the hall.

Nick Fury was truly living up to his name. He was absolutely furious. The Avengers had been called out to deal with a bit of a Loki situation in Central Park. The fight was normal, the takedown was normal, the retrieval with both Avengers and SHIELD agents… a fucking disaster. It was like a Coca-Cola truck ran head first into a Mentos truck. It was an unbelievable mess.

Some of the Avengers had been bickering back and forth about something trivial and for some reason, that set Loki off. So, like the trickster he was, Loki decided that if the Avengers were going to act like children, then they should become children.

Which brought Fury and Coulson to this moment. Loki had fled the scene soon after he turned all 6 Avengers into children and now they were stuck with a whole bunch of kids at various ages. That was why Fury was so angry with the poor agent who had to report that information. As for the miniaturized Avengers, most of them were crying or angry. They were confused and scared and both Fury and Coulson were at their wit's end. Neither really knew what to do with kids and dealing with 5 of them with varying emotions was not their forte.

The only kidvenger that was silent was Tony. He just sat in the chair Coulson set him on and didn't make a sound or move a muscle. It would be more worrying if Fury and Phil weren't trying so hard to calm down the others.

2 hours, some snacks, and a Disney movie later, Nick and Phil had managed to calm the kids down enough to talk to them. The introduced themselves first. Neither wanted to freak the kids out by thinking they'd been kidnapped. They come up with the lie that there was a big accident and that they were there to help them. It was close to the truth but they left out all the important stuff. They started with Steve. He told them that he was 10 years old and that he liked baseball. He also asked if his mom was alright. Phil had to lie about that.

Next, they talked to Thor who said he was also 10 (or the Asgardian equivalent) He asked about his little brother and if he could have more crackers. Thor hadn't really changed much from adult to child. He still liked food and believed that his little brother was good and pure.

After Thor, they talked to Clint, who told them he was 8. The little boy was a bit jumpy but was enthusiastic as he asked every question he could think of. He was talkative and just about lost it when he saw a person walking their dog outside when he looked out the window.

Natasha was more reserved. In the little English, she knew, she was able to tell the agents that she was 7. Coulson and Fury changed to speaking in Russian to her so that she would understand what was going on.

Bruce was almost as silent as little Tony. He flinched a bit when Nick and Phil got close but warmed up after a while. Bruce said that he was 8 and that he wanted to be a scientist when he grew up. He didn't ask about his parents or about going home as Steve and Thor did. Fury and Coulson understood why. Most of the Avengers had had really rough childhoods.

Next, they tried to talk to Tony. When Phil first looked at him he noticed that he was small. Very small. If Coulson had to guess how old he was he would have said that Tony was around 2-3 years old. He was also very thin and had a few marks on his hands. They weren't sure if they were from the battle with Loki or not.

"Hi there, your name's Tony, right?" asked Phil as he got down to eye level with the tiny Avenger. Tony nodded his head and looked down at his hands.

"Can you tell me how old you are?"

Tony once again didn't talk. He just held up 5 fingers. That honestly surprised both agents. Tony was so small, how on earth could he be 5 years old. He honestly looked like he was 2-3.

Fury and Coulson got them all checked out at medical before taking them back to the tower. After the examination, they had a few answers and care instructions to go off of. Phil was glad that Loki's magic didn't take away the serum in Steve's body, or else they would be dealing with one sick little boy. Like Steve, the others were healthy. Natasha was a few pounds underweight but would be fine with some food in her belly. Tony was the one they were concerned with. Tony was extremely underweight for a 5-year-old. He was small, malnourished, and extremely quiet. It made the adults a little uncomfortable.

Once they got back to the tower, Fury elected to make lunch while Coulson got the kidvengers dressed in the clothes that some poor agents had been forced to go get. The older kids had fun trying on clothes and making jokes with each other. Even Natasha, who didn't really understand English was giggling with the boys. Tony stayed silent as Phil helped him get dressed. He went and sat in the corner once he was all dressed. It made Phil worried. Soon enough Fury, who was trying his best not to look like a perpetually angry pirate, called the kids in for some lunch. The older kids started eating right away. Tony, on the other hand, needed some convincing.

"Tony, would you like a sandwich?" asked Fury as he kneeled down next to the little boy on the floor. Tony just shook his head.

"No, only good boys get food. I'm a bad boy." Stated Tony like it was a well-known fact. It just made Phil and Fury's hearts sink. How could Howard do this to his own kid?

"Tony, your parents told you to listen to what grown-ups say, yes?" asked Phil. Tony nodded. "Well, we're saying that it's ok to eat something." Tony nodded and reached for one of the cheese sandwiches on the table.

"Alright kids, Director Fury and I need to have a grown-up conversation. Can you guys all stay at the table?" asked Phil. The kids all nodded and the adults left the room. There were enough older kids to help out and JARVIS was keeping an eye on things.

"Well… this sucks." Muttered Phil once he and Fury were by themselves.

"I agree. We've got SHIELDS best scientists working on a fix. It would be nice if he had Banner and Stark working on this as well but that's not going to happen. This is going to take a while." Huffed out, Fury. This whole situation was frustrating.

"We could use this as a good thing." Fury looked at Phil with skepticism.

"Elaborate."

"Fury, this could be the only chance for some of them to have a normal childhood. Not one full of pain and hunger and neglect. Hell, I think Thor is the only one out of them that had any semblance of a normal childhood out of all of them. You saw them, Tony especially. I'm worried about them. They need some time to just be kids." Argues Phil. Fury nodded. The man had a point. These kids needed a reason to smile.

"What do you have in mind Agent?"

"Well, Halloween is coming up. Why don't I take them trick or treating? They get to dress up and eat candy. That's enough to make any kid smile for a bit."

With that, they put operation "Make the Kidvengers smile" to action. Phil stayed at the tower with the kids while Fury and some other agents were in and out. They weren't actually that hard to take care of. Steve and Thor were more self-sufficient due to their age. Bruce, Clint, and Natasha got along well enough. Natasha was even starting to pick up some English. Not a whole lot, but a little bit.

Again, Tony was another story. It didn't take the adults long to figure out that Tony didn't really know how to play. The kid could build circuit boards like a champ but if you presented him with a stuffed animal he didn't know what to do with it. Thank God for Steve. He'd been pretty much glued to Tony's side after he eavesdropped on one of the adult's conversations. Steve took it as his personal responsibility to teach the younger boy how to play with toys. They started out easy with building blocks. Tony liked those. They would build giant structures with complex systems. Whenever Steve told Tony he'd done a good job, the kid would smile. It made Phil happy.

When Phil told the kids that they would be going trick or treating he was met with excitement and questions. Phil had to explain to Thor and Natasha what Halloween was, but once he did they were just as excited as the others. Tony seemed indifferent when he was told they would be going out.

"We're going trick or treating Tony! Are you excited?" asked Steve as he sat on the floor next to Tony.

"Only good boys get to go trick or treating. I'm bad so I have to stay in my room all right." Said Tony. It made Phil's heartbreak even more and it made Steve confused.

"You're not a bad boy Tony. You're not bad so you get to go trick or treating with me, alright." Steve had really taken up a protective role for the youngest Avenger. It made Phil happy to see that little Tony had people looking out for him now.

Tony had shown so far to be very good at listening and following orders, something his adult self-struggled with probably due to a combination of Howard and Stane. So, after a quick supper on October 31, he was right there with the other kidvengers getting dressed in their costumes.

Thor was the first one to finish getting dressed. He came racing out of his room screaming about honour and glory while laughing and smiling. Thor was dressed up as a knight from one of the old fairy tales that Phil would read them all before bed. Clint and Natasha were next. It seemed like little Clint had an affinity for birds at a young age because he was dressed up as a hawk. Natasha was dressed up as a dragon. She and Thor got into a little play fight in the costumes. Bruce, ever the little scientist, was dressed up as Albert Einstein complete with a tiny lab coat. Steve and Tony were the last ones to finish getting ready. Steve came out dressed like a secret agent. The kid was hooked on spy movies ever since Phil let him and Thor watch Mission Impossible one night when the younger kids had gone to bed. Tony looked downright adorable in his costume. He was dressed up in a little grey bunny costume with floppy ears. It was the warmest costume Phil could find and he didn't regret choosing it. Baby Tony just looked too adorable. He made sure to get some pictures to show Stark once he was turned back into an adult.

After taking some pictures and sending them to Fury for the use in future Avengers related pranks, Phil got all 6 kids buckled up in the SHIELD issued van he was given. This probably wasn't the intended use for the van, but it worked for what was needed. Phil drove for a while until they were in the suburban areas of Upstate New York. Phil specifically chose the rich neighbourhoods there because, as a kid, he knew that rich people gave out the best candy on Halloween. Full sized candy bars, cans of soda, candy apples, you name it. Phil knew the kidvengers would like that.

Phil parked the van next to a well-lit park in an upscale neighbourhood and got all the kids out. Each kidvenger was armed with a large sack covered in pumpkins and bats. The ideal weapon for candy hunting. The sacks had each kidvengers name on it to avoid confusion once they got back to the tower with their haul.

Once they got to where the houses were the kidvengers were bubbling with excitement. Thor, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha ran a bit ahead so they could start going up to the houses. Steve stayed behind a bit. The older boy made sure to hold Tony's hand so he wouldn't get lost or hurt. Because Tony was so small, he had some problems getting up some of the stairs outside of peoples houses. Steve helped the smaller boy up with a smile each time he stumbled.

Phil smiled as he watched the kidvengers make their way from house to house. All of them were laughing and sharing smiles. It made Phil's heart soar with the fact that he could give them all this happy memory. Thor was running and playing with Bruce, Clint and Natasha were trading candies, and Tony and Steve were stuck together like glue as they made their way around the block collecting candy. Little Tony smiled the whole time.

After a few hours of trick or treating, Phil noticed that the kidvengers were starting to slow down a bit. It was time to go home. With each kid laden down with candy (Phil had to help carry Tony and Bruce's bags), they made their way back to the van and drove to the tower.

When they got back everyone went to their own part of the room and dumped out their candy. The sheer amount of full-sized candy bars and cans of soda were astounding. Going to a rich neighbourhood was a good call. Phil just knew that he would have to be the responsible adult and stop them from eating too much candy.

Phil took a moment to just sit down for a minute. Despite being a senior agent, chasing after a whole bunch of kids was enough to make anyone tired. After a few minutes, he heard the pitter patter of feet and he looked up to see Tony standing next to him holding a Hershey bar.

"You didn't get any candy, Mr. Coulson. You can have this one." Said Tony in a tiny voice. It made Phil's heart melt. Even little Tony liked giving gifts even if big Tony had a more snarky and deflective way of doing it.

"Thank you, Tony. That's very thoughtful of you." Tony smiled and ran back to play with Steve. Phil just shook his head and smiled. He was glad that the kidvengers were happy. Their plan had worked.

That night each kidvenger went to bed with happy smiles and sugar-filled dreams.

A few weeks later, when Loki had resurfaced and decided to re-age the Avengers, which he treated like the biggest inconvenience to himself in the universe, the bonds they formed while children stayed. They worked better as a team, they had more team bonding activities. It was amazing. And, if Steve and Tony were becoming more of an item by the day, well, nobody argued with that.


	2. I'm Listening

Due to things beyond his control, Student Bucky Barnes is stuck at school over the holiday break. Unfortunately for him, he's not alone. Fellow student and rumoured professional asshat Tony Stark is also stranded on campus. Will Bucky warm up to the young genius or will his opinion of him get frozen solid like the snow? Pairing, Bucky/Tony. Rated T

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This was a labour of love so enjoy! For armoredsoftie on Tumblr. Check her out, she's amazing!

I'M LISTENING

Winter on the east coast was… unpleasant to say the least. Bucky hated how the cold made his bones ache, especially his left arm. Or, what was left of it. Bucky had lost his arm as a child in a train accident. It wasn't something he liked to talk about much. Let's just say he was playing games where he shouldn't have. At least Bucky had gotten a pretty sweet prosthetic out of the whole ordeal. His friends didn't seem to care either.

Bucky and his best friend Steve had been inseparable since they first met when they were in elementary school. They did everything together including going to the same University. There they had met some other amazing people in their dorms. It was nice. Bucky had grown up an outcast but had quickly found a group of amazing people who didn't treat him like he was defective.

In addition to Steve, there was Clint who was their resident jokester, Natasha, who was a bit stoic but was fiercely protective of all of them. Next was Thor, he was an exchange student and was more like a big puppy than anything. Last in their little group was Bruce. He was a Bioengineering major and was the shyest out of the group.

All of them were 18. Freshmen embarking on the journey of adulthood.

Their first semester went great, all things considering. Bucky and Steve had gotten into University on a scholarship and it showed. Almost everyone on campus was dressed nicely in designer clothes. Well, it was expected considering that they were going to a prestigious school. They had met friends easily through their classes and extracurriculars. They all became quick friends and were some of the more popular kids on campus.

The only downside to the whole semester, Bucky had to stay on campus over the holidays. It wasn't that his Mama didn't try to bring him home. It's just that they didn't have enough money for Bucky to fly back home. Bucky understood, and his Mama and sisters promised to call him every day, but that still didn't take away the sting of havening to spend the holidays alone while his friends and family celebrated without him.

Well, Bucky was mostly alone.

There was only one other student staying on campus over the holidays. Tony Stark. The arrogant, party hungry, absolute asshole, Tony Stark. Well, Bucky had never actually met the 16-year-old kid, but his reputation proceeded him.

Bucky was not looking forward to that. And to make matters worse, Bucky just so happened to live in the same building as Stark so he was being forced by his RA to interact with the only other human staying on campus over the break.

This was going to be hell.

The day everyone went home for the break, Bucky decided to help Steve bring his bags down to the lobby of their building. Steve's bus was already there so they couldn't spend too long saying goodbye. After Steve left, Bucky decided to take the stairs back up to his room. Taking the stairs in a large apartment complex when you lived on the tenth floor was no easy feat no matter how fit you are. With that in mind, Bucky had to take a short breather as he climbed ever higher. He stopped at the eighth floor supply closet and was just sitting down when he heard a couple of voices coming from nearby.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me Tony? I know my Mama won't mind taking you in."

"I can't Rhodey. If Howard were to find out then I'd just get in trouble. It's getting hard enough to hide the bruises when he forces me home every few weeks. Imagine what he'd do if he found out I'd disobeyed him! I can't go Rhodey, I'm sorry."

Well, colour Bucky surprised. This was news to him. Bucky had seen Stark walking around campus with visible bruises and a limp a few times. He just thought it was from picking fights with the other students. Although, Stark could be lying. Bucky had learned to take all information with a grain of salt and wait for more details.

Still, hearing what was most likely a private conversation made Bucky uncomfortable. He quickly made it back to his room and started cooking some dinner. It wasn't anything even remotely fancy. Just some packaged ramen with some chicken pieces in it. The whole time Bucky was cooking, he couldn't help thinking back to the conversation he'd overheard. Something in the way Stark had spoken was unsettling. He had sounded like a scared little kid. Like he was genuinely scared. It made Bucky worry a bit. Maybe he had misjudged Stark. He'd only ever heard rumours about him. Bucky began to wonder just how many of them were true.

Around 7 o'clock that night, Bucky got a message from his RA telling him to head down to the media room on the second floor. So, Bucky grabbed his room key and made his way down to the room. When he arrived he was just expecting it to be a check in with his RA. Oh, he was so wrong. When Bucky entered the room he was met with the sight of his RA sitting on the couch while across from them sat Tony Stark. The teen looked miserable like he really didn't want to be there.

"Oh good, you're here Barnes. Come and take a seat." Called their RA once they'd spotted Bucky.

Bucky did as he was told and took a seat on the same couch Stark was sitting on. Except he sat down one the complete opposite end. The whole atmosphere was just thick with tension and awkwardness. Tension and awkwardness that their RA just wasn't picking up on.

"Alright, so, I've brought you two down here because you're the only ones staying here over the break. Now, I don't want either of you to be alone so for the next three hours I'm locking you guys in the room so you're forced to get to know each other."

Both Bucky and Stark looked on incredulously. This was ridiculous! Forget ridiculous, was this even legal!

"You know that if you lock the door I'll just get it open in a matter of minutes." Spoke up Stark from his spot on the couch.

"That's why I'm blocking the door. Now you two have fun." Their RA smiled and exited the room. On the other side of the door, the telltale sound of heavy furniture echoed through the halls and both Bucky and Stark looked perturbed.

The two teens sat in relative silence for a little while. Stark curled up defensively in the corner and pulled at the sleeves of his sweater. Bucky took the silence to actually get a good look at Stark. To Bucky, Stark looked the complete opposite of a fancy rich billionaire. His hair was a curly mess, he had dark circles under his eyes. Stark was also wearing a clearly oversized sweater. Bucky wasn't sure if it belonged to his roommate of if Stark was hiding something.

"Well… since we're stuck in here together we may as well talk." Spoke Bucky after 20 agonizing minutes if silence.

"You don't want to talk to me. You'll just end up hating yourself for doing that." Spat Stark from his little corner of the couch.

"And why would I hate myself?" asked Bucky as he turned himself to face sideways on the couch.

"Haven't you heard the rumours?" retorted Stark, "I'm an alcoholic playboy who's nothing but an asshole. Just a dick and a brain."

Bucky stared at Stark for a few seconds, his eyes wide. Stark didn't sound like he was bragging about any of those rumours. In fact, Bucky had come to the realization that he'd ONLY EVER heard rumours about Stark. And rumours get twisted and hurtful over time. It was extremely possible that none of them were true. So, Bucky decided to take a chance.

"None of those rumours are true though, right?"

Stark looked over at Bucky for the first time that night. His eyes were wide in surprise. In fact, they looked a little bit glassy with unshed emotions. Like this was the first time anyone had even bothered to get his side of the story in a long, long time.

"Most people believe what they want too. Why argue the fact even if the facts aren't true. I learned my lesson a long time ago that it doesn't pay to pick fights with those who are bigger than you." Stark smiled sullenly and just those few words spoke thousands of those unsaid to Bucky.

Bucky had always been good at picking up on emotions. Just looking at Stark, Bucky could tell that he was hurting and that nobody except his friend Rhodes had bothered to do anything. That is if that conversation he heard earlier was anything to go off of.

"Are any of those rumours true?" asked Bucky as he took a tentative scoot closer to Stark.

"Why do you care? You're only in here because we've been forced to talk to each other." Bucky could tell Stark was getting anxious and agitated, but he continued to press forward for some answers.

"Well to start off, if people were to be sleeping around with you it would technically be statutory rape, and that's nothing to be bragging about." Started Bucky and Stark's eyes widened for a second before he looked down at his hands.

"Again, why do you care?"

"Because I heard the conversation you had with Rhodes earlier." Stark was silent for a second before he finally processed what he'd heard and snapped.

"YOU WHAT!?"

"It was an accident I swear!" floundered Bucky as he tried to defend himself against the irate genius.

Stark began shouting out nonsense and throwing pillows around for a few minutes before he finally seemed to get his emotions under control. He sat back down on the couch and sighed. The whole time he was throwing things, Bucky stayed silent. This was obviously a touchy subject for Stark.

"How much do I have to pay you to keep quiet about this?" murmured Stark after a few minutes of silence.

"Why the hell would you think that I'd want money to keep quiet?" argued Bucky

"That's all I'm good for. People only ever want money from me. That's just how the world works."

"And who taught you that?" asked Bucky. Tony looked down at his hands but didn't answer.

"Does it have anything to do with what you told Rhodes about your father?" Bucky looked over at Stark, but it still took him a few moments to respond. It looked like he was weighing all his options.

"My old nanny was from Argentina. She taught me Spanish. My mom is from Italy. She taught me Italian. Ana and Jarvis are Jewish. They taught me Hebrew. Howard, well… he taught me the language of silence. That he can make me hurt in any language and nobody will hear me." Tony was whispering by the end of his little rant and it made Bucky's heartache.

"I hear you Stark." Came Bucky's reply, But Stark wasn't really paying attention.

"I'm just a broken person held together with thumbtacks and cellophane."

Bucky could quite believe what he was hearing. Stark seemed like a genuinely kind person, but he obviously had some severe emotional problems that stemmed from years of abuse and neglect. It made Bucky's stomach churn. Nobody should have to live like that. Bucky took a chance and scooted closer to Stark on the couch and pulled the genius into a hug. He resisted for a second but then melted into the embrace. It was clear that Stark wasn't really used to affection and touch that wasn't painful.

After that, the floodgates were open. Neither of them knew where all the trust was coming from, but it was a welcome chance for Stark to vent about all the pain he'd endured. Bucky sat there and listened. It was clear that he was only one of two people who had ever lent Stark an ear and actually cared about all the shit he'd been through.

"I just hate this all so much. You have no idea, Barnes! You have no idea what it's like to feel like you're just shouting into the void just to get even a little bit of positive attention."

"Stop it with all the Barnes crap. I hate being called by my last name. Call me Bucky."

"Only if you call me Tony."

The two shared a small smile and slowly but surely, the conversation turned to slightly more positive subjects.

Around 11 that night, their RA finally decided to open the door and let the two out. What they didn't expect was to see both students sound asleep next to each other while Die Hard played in the background. They just decided to leave them there so that they could sleep.

The rest of the break, Bucky actually made an effort to hang out with Tony. The had a surprising amount in common now that they were getting to know each other. Both were big pranksters and troublemakers. Both where science majors and both had a secret sweet tooth. Hell, they even liked the same music and movies. They got along swimmingly.

It was two weeks into their three-week break when Bucky started realizing that he had feelings for Tony. You couldn't really fault him. Tony was sweet, charming, and stupidly good looking. And the age difference wasn't that big of a deal. They were only two years apart so Bucky didn't think it was creepy.

Still, Bucky was not anticipating getting a crush over the break. Bucky liked when he made Tony laugh. He'd only ever seen him looking miserable or wearing a mask before. It made Bucky' heart flutter to know that he was the one putting the smiles on his face. Bucky also learnt that Tony was quite tactile. Tony had fallen asleep in Bucky a few times when they got together to watch some movies. Bucky thought it was adorable. Tony was just like a cat. Prickly with others but affectionate with those who cared for him.

The night before the break was about to end and everyone was to return to campus, Bucky realized that he couldn't really keep his feelings for Tony a secret anymore. He didn't want to lose Tony once the other students came back and things got back to normal. So, on the last night of break, Bucky invited Tony over to his room for dinner. Bucky spared no expense. Well… no expense for a broke college student. Bucky had trudged outside earlier and braved the snow to pick up some groceries. Bucky made it back home in one piece and got to cooking. Bucky enjoyed cooking. It brought him a sense of calm. Just as Bucky was finishing up, there was a knock at the door.

"It's open!" called out Bucky.

The door clicked open and Tony walked into Bucky's apartment. He was smiling wide when he entered the room and it made Bucky smile as well.

"You seem happy." Bucky smiled at Tony as he began plating up their food.

"You're feeding me. Of course, I'm happy."

They two sat down to dinner and just held a normal conversation. It was nice. The air was calm and the two enjoyed themselves as they got into a "dad joke" competition. After they ate, Bucky dragged Tony over the couch so that they could watch a movie. They settled on some overly cheesy rom-com that Tony seemed to enjoy. Just as the guy was about to get the girl, Bucky decided to take his chance. In a moment of what they would think of later as "absolute comedy gold", Bucky yawned and stretched out his arms, allowing one to fall back and rest around Tony's shoulders. Tony looked over at Bucky with a mixture of amusement and confusion. What on Earth was he doing?

"What are you up to Bucky Bear?" asked Tony as he stared down Bucky. Bucky just blushed a bit but he didn't break eye contact.

Tony just looked at Bucky even more confused then he had a few moments ago. And that was when Bucky took his chance. It was now or never. This was not the time to chicken out. So, Bucky took his chance. He lent down and gave Tony a chaste kiss on the lips.

Tony was taken by surprise the second Bucky's lips met his. He hadn't expected this at all when Bucky had invited him over for dinner and a movie. Well, thinking back on it, it should have been obvious. And it wasn't like Tony hadn't been harbouring a crush for Bucky since they'd finally gotten to know each other. So, Tony did exactly what he wanted to do. He kissed Bucky back.

When Bucky pulled away from the kiss he had a bit of a stupid smile on his face. Tony had kissed him back! When Bucky got his first look at Tony post-kiss, the same smile was reflected there. That was a pleasant surprise for Bucky. He really liked Tony, and it appeared that Tony shared that sentiment.

"I hope that wasn't too forward." Mumbled Bucky as he scratched at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"No… Never. I um... I didn't think you'd like me like that." Stammered Tony as he looked down at his hands. His cheeks were flushed and he looked a little insecure.

"Tony, I think you're amazing." Stated Bucky. Tony just blushed more. Bucky reached out and pulled Tony a little bit closer.

"You're smart. You're funny. You're kind. I want there to be an us. I want to be there to listen to you when you need me to."

"You could do so much better than me." Whispered Tony and Bucky just lent in and hugged him.

"I like you because you're you, Tony. No because you're someone else." Bucky smiled a bit when Tony let himself melt into the hug. "So what do you say, shall we give this a shot?" Bucky hoped that Tony would say yes. He really wanted to give this relationship a try.

"I want to give it a try too. I really like you Bucky. I've seen you around campus and thought you were hot. I'm… I'm glad you like me too." Tony and smiled and Bucky did as well.

The two spent the rest of their evening cuddling on the couch in Bucky's room and trading a few kisses. Neither wanted for things to move too fast. They just enjoyed each others company. Steve found them asleep together on the couch the next morning when he got back from break. Tony got all flustered when Steve started yelling. He excused himself back to his and Rhodey's room while Bucky ranted to Steve about his behaviour and how Tony wasn't who the rumours described him as. Steve apologized to Tony later that night for his behaviour. Tony had never had anyone apologize to him before and it once again left him flustered.

School started up the next day and both Bucky and Tony made sure to spend time together. Tony would help Bucky with his class and lab work while Bucky helped Tony feel safe and secure. And when Howard decided to show up one weekend and disturb their peace, Bucky was right there helping Tony through all of it.

Neither Bucky nor Tony knew what the rest of the school year would have in store for them. All they knew was that they had each other to lean on when times got tough. They had someone to listen.


	3. A new kind of Awesome

After Thanos' snap is reversed, Peter Quill finds himself in a little bit of a rut. He feels isolated and lonely with no clear direction left. All he wants to do is listen to his music and wallow in his own self-pity. That is until he's interrupted by a certain God of Thunder. ThorQuill rated T

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Hello friends! This is a little fic I've put together for tonystarkhd on Tumblr for the captain awesome holiday exchange. They requested for me to GO NUTS with a little ThorQuill. So, without further ado, let's rock and roll!

With the victims of Thanos' fated snap returned, Peter Quill found himself in a bit of a predicament. Sure, he had his team back, but his team had a giant hole in it. The team known as The Avengers were only able to bring back those who got turned to dust when Thanos snapped his fingers. They weren't able to bring back those who died by the mad Titan's hand. Peter missed Gamora so badly. It also didn't help that he and the rest of his team were marooned on Terra until they could fix their ship.

So, being stranded on a planet he no longer considered home, mixed with losing one of the few people he genuinely cared about… Peter just felt empty inside.

So, Peter turned back to the one thing he knew would take away at least a bit of the pain. His music. Almost every night, Peter would lay in his room at the Avengers compound, Walkman in hand, blasting music. It brought a little light to his broken world. Peter had mostly been keeping to himself. Sure, he talked to his team and some of the other Avengers (mostly just Stark and mini Peter), but for the most part, Peter just wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

It was late one night and Peter was blasting "Down Under" by Men at Work when he saw a bit of movement from outside his window. Peter pulled off his earbuds and got out of bed to see what was going on. When Peter looked out of his window he had a great view of the outdoor seating area. In one of the wicker chairs to the right sat none other than Thor. He was just looking wistfully up at the sky. Now, Peter had only met the guy briefly when the Guardians rescued him from space, and again a few times there at the compound, but what Peter was seeing seemed a bit out of character for the god.

So, with that in mind, Peter pulled on his jacket and a pair of shoes and made his way outside. The midsummer air was cool but not cold and it made Peter's skin prickle from the contrast of the temperature in his room. He made his way over to Thor and plopped down in one of the chairs.

"So, what brings you outside at this time of night?" Asked Peter as he looked over at Thor.

"Just lost in thought." Spoke the god beside him.

"What's on your mind? I've heard that talking can sometimes help." Encouraged Peter as he moved a little closer to Thor. "Now I know I may seem like a bit of an Asshole that does what he wants, but I am a good listener, and everybody sometimes needs someone to listen."

Thor sighed but began speaking none the less.

"It's nothing really. I just miss my brother. We'd been through a lot together. He's survived everything thrown at him. And he just had to go and try to stab Thanos with a butter knife. Now I have no one."

"I'm sorry dude." Said Peter with complete sincerity. He knew what it was like to lose family. "If it helps, I'm sorry for mocking you back on my ship after we found you."

Thor let out a small laugh but looked back at Peter.

"That was nothing. I've received much worse. If anything, it was funny."

They soon fell into a bit of an uncomfortable silence. Neither really knew what to say. The air around them continued to cool and the stars shone brightly. Well, what stars they could see due to New York's light pollution. It made Peter miss being back out in space cruising around the galaxy. It made Peter feel a little homesick.

"You know what helps me when I'm feeling like shit. Music. Here, have a listen with me!" spoke Peter as he pulled his Walkman out of his pocket. Peter handed Thor one of the earbuds and Peter put the adjacent one in his ear. Once that was done, Peter put on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and let the music take them away.

And, little did the two know, but at that moment, a bond began to form.

Soon, the two got into something of a routine. It wasn't every night, but at least twice a week, Thor would knock on Peter's window and the two would sit outside, look at the stars, and listen to music. Somewhere along the way, they started to share stories. Thor would tell Peter tales of his childhood on Asgard. He would tell of his travels and all the fun he got up too with the Avengers before the universe went to shit. Peter told Thor about his life as an outlaw and how exactly he'd met the other Guardians.

They began sharing laughs and smiles. Both of them started to become more social with everyone else at the compound. Thor was even at the point where he offered to help Tony and Pepper babysit their daughter, Morgan. Seeing Thor play with the tiny infant shook something loose in Peter's heart. That was the moment when he realized he'd fallen in love with Thor Odinson.

So, Peter being the scheming little brat he tended to be, started formulating a little bit of a plan. Peter knew for a fact that Thor was currently single and didn't care about the gender of his partners. That was a plus in Peter's book. He started with attempting to bake some brownies for Thor. He followed the recipe to the tee and yet for some reason they turned out all mushy. Maybe the flour here on Terra was just different from the flour on Contraxia.

Next, Peter decided to get some inspiration from some of the romance movies there on Terra. After hours of studying the films, Peter decided to employ the good old "accidental handhold in the popcorn" trick. Unfortunately, when Peter tried it, that just lead to Thor starting a hand holding chain with everyone else in the room.

So, Peter used his last resort before just outright telling Thor. With the help of Stark's AI, FRIDAY, Peter put together a playlist to listen to with Thor the next time they had one of their midnight get-togethers. Fortunately, Peter didn't have to wait long to show Thor the new playlist. Two nights after he made it, Thor was knocking on his window and the two were sitting outside in their usual spots.

"I've got some new tunes for us to listen to tonight!" Spoke Peter excitedly as he pulled out his earbuds and passed one to Thor.

"I'm sure you chose some good music." Smiled Thor as the two began to relax and listen to the sounds of "Space Oddity" by David Bowie.

"This music. I like it!" shouted Thor as the playlist continued on.

"I know, it just makes me want to dance." Commented Peter in the vain hope that Thor would ask him to dance.

"Then let us dance." And before Peter could even respond, he was hauled to his feet and pulled close to Thor as the sounds of "Expresso Love" by Dire Straits flowed through their shared earbuds.

Both of them were dancing and laughing. It was the most light-hearted that either of them had felt in almost a year. Peter liked seeing the sparkling in Thor's eyes as he twirled Peter around like he weighed nothing.

As the song slowly began to fade out, Thor and Peter drifted closer and closer to each other. Soon enough, Peter's face was only inches from Thor's. It really was now or never. So, Peter leaned in and gave Thor a kiss.

And Thor kissed back.

When they gently pulled apart, both were smiling goofy smiles. Peter was just happy that Thor returned the kiss and Thor was happy that his own little crush was reciprocated.

"So… should we become a thing? Because I think we should become a thing." Rambled Peter as he looked back at Thor. Thor just smiled back at him.

"Why not. What could we lose?"

And with that Thor lent in and began kissing Peter with earnest. In that little moment in time, all that mattered was that they were together and starting to enjoy life again. All other problems could wait for later. Such as the fact, that Rocket and Groot were hiding in the bushed nearby taping the whole thing to tease Peter about later.


	4. When it don't come easy

After the so-called Civil War, Tony was down on his luck. He was horribly injured and his mental illness wanted to get the better of him. It didn't help that a group of aliens called the Guardians just had to show up and make things worse. When they left, Tony was ready to give up on everything. And then the Rogues returned. Thank fuck that Tony met Scott Lang, or else he might as well be dead. Pairings- SrarkQuill (sort of), IronAnt. Rated M

Disclaimer: I love Peter Quill. He's funny and sweet and has amazing taste in music. I know how I'm having him act in this fic is ooc. I get that. I really do. This is an abo fic. Naturally, there is going to be ooc behaviour. Also, warning, there are non-con element in this fic. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Title from the Sleeping at Last cover, When it don't come Easy.

* * *

When Tony Stark woke up one morning, 3 months after the "Civil War", to the sound of FRIDAY warning him about an incoming spacecraft, he never imagined that his life would change so drastically.

It all started with those eyes. Those beaming blue eyes that introduced themselves as Peter Quill, an Alpha from Earth who was raised in space. Tony could already feel himself blushing as he introduced himself and welcomed the so-called "Guardians of the Galaxy" into the compound.

"So what brings you guys here to Earth?" asked Tony as everyone got seated in the main living room. A room that had largely been empty for the past 3 months. Tony still felt like most days he was dreaming. Like he would wake up and everyone would be home.

"We're here to warn you guys about this big bad named Thanos." Spoke this guy named Rocket, who was an ACTUAL RACCOON!

"Why would he be coming here?"

"Because we have reason to believe that there are Infinity Stones that reside here on Terra." Spoke up Quill as he looked Tony over. It made him feel just a bit uncomfortable. "How do you plan to defend them?"

Tony looked down at his hands and thought. Well, he more so waffled over what he was told. He didn't know what to expect from this Thanos guy. He had little experience with this whole thing. What he did know was that the whole situation sounded a lot like the visions and nightmares Tony had been having since 2012. This was the very thing he'd been working towards preventing, yet nobody believed him. It was nice to have a little bit of validation despite the circumstances.

"What's the timeline?" asked Tony as he looked back up at the rest of the Guardians.

"A couple of years. We know that Thanos is going after some of the easier stones first. That gives you some time to prepare. Maybe throw together a team." Spoke Quill as he looked back at Tony. Tony just bowed his head and sighed.

"I used to have a team." Tony felt his chest ache as he though back to slightly better times. "We were called The Avengers. Three months ago we had a big falling out. Now it's just me and two others."

"Shit man, what happened?" asked Quill. Tony just looked down at his hands.

"Let's just say that the rest of what used to be my team are wanted fugitives and I only got out of the hospital from the injuries they caused a week ago."

The rest of the Guardians looked baffled. They would never betray a teammate like that. It just wasn't something they did.

"Look, guys, I can't do much until I gather what's left of my team. Until then you guys can chill here. I've got some empty rooms you can sleep in and my AI FRIDAY can help you with whatever you need. I can talk more later, but I have a prior engagement I need to attend to." Apologized Tony. The Guardians just nodded and Quill sent Tony a smile that made his heart flutter.

Tony quickly left the room and instructed FRIDAY to let him know if his guests caused any trouble and to let Rhodey and Vision know that they needed to have a meeting at the end of the week. Now, Tony didn't just leave the room because he felt a bit uncomfortable. He did actually have plans. He was going to pick up his protegee Peter Parker to spend the weekend at the compound with him to do some science.

It was a thing they had started when Tony was still in the hospital. Peter was worried when Tony got back from Siberia. At the time, Tony wasn't up to much. Hell, he couldn't even talk due to all the tubes and wires in his chest. His artificial sternum had been shattered when Rogers had smashed his shield into his chest. The damage was so extensive that they had to put a new version of the arc reactor in to keep Tony alive.

So, while Tony was in the hospital Peter would swing by a few times a week after school to come and hang out. Most of the time he would just talk about his day and all the stuff he'd gotten up to. Other times Peter would have Tony help him with his math homework. It helped keep Tony's mind occupied and soon enough, Tony started thinking of Peter as his own pup.

So, now Tony was going to pick up Peter so they could spend time together. It was nice to have another Omega around. It helped keep things calm when life was so hectic. When Peter ran outside his apartment in Queens to meet Tony in his orange Audi, he was all smiles. The second Peter got in the car he was talking Tony's ear off while they drove back.

"So, Mr. Stark, is there anything new happening at the compound?" asked Peter as they got out of the city.

"Actually there is kid. We've got a couple of aliens and an Alpha staying with us for a while. I'll explain it all later."

"THAT'S SO COOL!" shouted the excited Spider-kid. Tony just smiled and kept driving.

When they arrived back at the compound, Tony decided to take a bit of a detour back to the living room with Peter. It was better for Tony to introduce the kid to the Guardians while he was supervising then for Peter to stumble upon them and freak out.

"Well hello, Stardust." Smiled Quill as Tony walked into the room with Peter. "Who's the kid?"

"Guardians this is Peter. Peter, meet the Guardians of the Galaxy."

Peter was in awe. He'd never met aliens before. This was beyond his wildest dreams. Peter was quick to swarm the Guardians with well-meaning questions. Quill, Drax, and Mantis were quick to indulge the young Omega as he pestered them all with questions about space. Gamora, Rocket, and Groot just stayed off to the side. Tony just smiled at the scene. It was almost calm. Something Tony hadn't felt in a long time.

Soon enough Tony managed to drag Peter away from the Guardians so he could go work on his new web fluid in the lab. They spent the afternoon working and talking. Well, Peter did most of the talking. Tony just listened and let his thoughts wander. He wondered what Pepper would say about this whole situation. He'd have to tell her later.

You see, Tony and Pepper had decided to stay broken up. Seeing Tony dying in the hospital after Siberia was just too much for Pepper to handle. And Tony couldn't blame her. It was too much for even him to handle. So, they decided to remain friends and to support each other when they needed it. It still didn't change the fact that he still felt sad about the breakup. It really wasn't helping with his depression and anxiety, but if it helped Pepper, Tony would gladly give up everything if it made her happy.

That night at dinner, Tony invited the Guardians to join him and Peter. The night was full of jokes and honestly, it was the first time Tony had laughed in a while. By the end of the night, once Peter was safely in his bed, Tony decided to take a little walk around the compound. He needed a little time to clear his head after everything that had happened that day.

"Hey, Stardust." Tony startled and turned around. Standing behind him was Peter Quill, stupid smile and all.

"Hey, Quill. Is there anything I can help you with? Are you and your team settling in nicely?" asked Tony as he saw Quill get closer.

"Everything's just fine. Everyone had a good time exploring. I was just wondering about you. You've seemed a bit skittish."

"It's nothing. Well, it's not really nothing." Sighed Tony. He didn't know what it was, but something in Quill made Tony immediately trust him. "Remember earlier when I said I had only just gotten out of the hospital?" Quill nodded. "It was because a former teammate smashed in my chest and left me to die alone in the freezing cold."

"WHAT THE FUCK! That's not cool dude!" shouted Quill and Tony flinched back a bit involuntarily. Tony had never liked shouting.

"Sorry Stardust, it's just… how could someone do that to a person? It's horrible." Huffed Quill completely scandalized at the thought of leaving someone behind to die.

The rest of the night was spent talking. Quill told Tony stories about his life exploring the cosmos and Tony told Quill about his life. His shitty shitty life. They took comfort in each other. Sometimes it helped to have similar experiences.

The next day, Quill and the rest of the Guardians agreed to stay Earth-side for a couple of months. It was in their best interest to work together with the governments of Earth to plan for the upcoming battle. Peter Parker loved coming to visit and hang around with the Guardians. He got along splendidly with Mantis and Groot. The other Guardians took advantage of the compounds training facilities. Gamora and Drax got in more weapons training in the few weeks they'd been there then they had in the years they'd been a team. Rocket was given some lab space and was told to "go nuts". Every day some new explosion happened.

Tony and Quill worked a bit differently. They spent their days' planning and their evenings talking. Tony slowly got Quill caught up on Earth culture and they enjoyed watching movies together or blasting music in the lab while Tony worked. Quill kept calling Tony Stardust and in turn, Tony called Quill Rocket Man. Although, Tony was the only one who blushed when he was called a cheesy nickname. It really didn't take long for Tony to realize that he had developed feelings for Quill.

That was his problem. He fell for people too easily. He was so starved for affection that he just took what he could get and ran with it like a dog after a stick.

Rhodey, on the other hand, was cautious over the whole situation. Tony was his little brother in all but blood. He didn't want to see Tony get hurt. Tony had enough pain in his life. He didn't need the heartbreak that would come when Quill inevitably left to return to space. But, Rhodey also didn't want to spoil one of the few things that was currently making him happy. Tony had been dealing with depression since he was a teenager. He'd only started medication for it after the battle of New York. He had to change his meds after Siberia and they were absolutely wrecking him. So, for Rhodey to see Tony smiling and enjoying himself, it made things better.

But that still didn't mean that Rhodey was all for the idea of Tony and Quill getting together.

Tony, on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of what Rhodey thought about Quill. Rhodey was willing to give Quill a chance. So, Tony and Quill grew closer. Closer to the point where Quill had asked Tony out on a date. It wasn't anything fancy. Just a day out on the town on one of their days off from doing work planning for Thanos. At that point, the Guardians had been living at the compound for 2 months and everyone had settled into a routine.

Although, after that date, Tony and Quill became just a little bit closer.

"You know, if you're really that set on dating me you should know what you're getting into." Sighed Tony one night after they had gotten back from a date to an ice cream shop in Manhattan.

"I already know what I'm getting into Stardust. You're irresistible." Husked Quill as they sat down together on one of the couches in Tony's room.

"I'm really not. I've got scars. Bad ones. I'm not as young as I once was." Quill just took Tony's hands in his and kissed the knuckles.

"I don't care about your scars. If it's one thing I learned while living with the Ravagers it's to be proud of your scars. Scars just mean that something could have killed you but it didn't. Yondu always told me that scars told the stories of battle." Tony just smiled a bit. "I remember, back with the Ravagers we used to have nights where we'd all sit around, eat food, and tell tales off all the missions we'd been on. Those were the moments that were actually good. And, nobody was threatening to eat me so there's that."

Tony paused for a moment and looked up at Quill. He looked so sincere. His scent was so calming that Tony just knew he could trust him with his scars.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." And with that, Tony pulled off his shirt and closed his eyes. He didn't want to look at Quill's face when he saw the river of scars that covered his upper body.

Quill, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off of Tony. Or more importantly, he couldn't take his eyes off of the long still fresh scar tissue that bisected Tony's chest. A scar caused by a vibrainium shield coming down on the arc reactor. That scar sat right in the middle of Tony's chest and was only interrupted by a circle of red, inflamed scar tissue surrounding Tony's new arc reactor. There was a myriad of other scars covering Tony's arms and chest, as well as some old scars on Tony's back that seemed to be from a belt, but those were the biggest scars on Tony's body.

"You look beautiful Stardust. Your body is a story. A story that lead you to me." Quill walked closer and pulled Tony into a hug. He set Tony head near his scent gland and allowed his calming scent to relax the Omega.

"Thank you, Peter." Whispered Tony once he had calmed down a bit.

"Don't thank me Stardust. You're beautiful. So beautiful."

That night they didn't end up having sex, but they did spend the night together. They had fallen asleep on the couch while watching Star Wars. It was oddly domestic.

So, things were going great. Everyone was getting along. They had the beginnings of a solid plan to help defend Earth. Although a huge part of that plan hinged on getting the Rogue Avengers pardoned. Tony was already working on that with the US government and the UN. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Other then that, things were good. Quill was amazing, The Guardians were getting used to Earth, Peter was flourishing at school, Rhodey was getting better and better at walking in his braces, and Vision had discovered that he had an affinity for baking. Not cooking, baking. He still couldn't cook. But, things were good.

And then Tony's heat hit.

Tony was lucky he was born when he was. By the time Tony had turned 10, the Omega Rights Movement had succeeded in granting equal rights for all Omegas. They could vote, inherit, run large corporations, the works. They even had special protections during their heats. Before, Alphas could just come in and take advantage of the situation. Now, there had to be strict written consent before a pair could share a heat unless they were bonded. It was to protect those who were vulnerable. It was the law.

But nobody told Peter Quill that.

So, in the middle of the night, Tony's life got turned upside-down. He hadn't been on any heat suppressants due to his heart medication. And, well, Tony honestly hadn't been expecting to go into heat due to all the stress his body had been under. So, he really wasn't prepared. FRIDAY sure as hell didn't know what to do. She had no protocols for heat. She hadn't needed them before and Tony hadn't felt the need to add any protocols. He hadn't been a playboy for years. He didn't need them.

Big mistake.

The other big mistake was Tony not locking his door.

Tony always knew he produced higher than normal pheromones during heat, and that really wasn't helping him at that moment. The second Quill, who was going to the kitchen to get a snack, smelt the sweet aroma of an Omega in heat wafting through the compound he was pulled into his rut. It didn't take long for Quill to get into Tony's room.

And in that moment, Tony's life was changed forever.

Tony knew he didn't want this. He wasn't ready for this. But his heat brain was absolutely on board with the idea of having sex with Quill. This was why there where laws protecting Omegas in heat. This was the reason.

It took two days for Tony's heat to subside. The whole time Tony was grappling with the reality of what his body wanted versus what his brain wanted. What drove Tony crazy was the fact that, in the moment, Tony couldn't do anything about the situation. It drove him crazy. He almost welcomed those moments when he got so exhausted that he passed out.

By the night of the second day, Tony's heat had ended and he was completely passed out. He felt wrung out and absolutely disgusting. He felt used and dirty. He felt worse then he had in months. All he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. If he didn't have to work to save the universe he would have. Instead, he opted for sleep. He could work through all of this when he didn't feel like passing out.

By the time Tony had woken up the next day when it was well past noon, Quill was gone and in his place was a yellow sticky note.

"Stardust; we got a call back from the Nova Corps. We're leaving at dawn. Thanks for the awesome few months. We'll meet again. -Star-Lord"

Tony was completely heartbroken. He had put his trust in Quill and he had broken it. And what had Quill done? He had used Tony when he was most vulnerable and when he was done, fucked back off to space. But, Tony couldn't help but feel like the whole situation was somehow his fault. And that caused Tony to have a panic attack.

Luckily, FRIDAY did have a protocol for that and Rhodey came running the second he was alerted to the situation. When he entered Tony's room he was struck with the thick scent of destressed Omega and the subtle scent of heat and rut. It didn't take very long for Rhodey to put two and two together.

"Tony… Tony, what happened?" asked Rhodey as soothing as he could. He knew it was better for Tony to come to him with the information than him prying any further than he had.

What surprised Rhodey the most was the fact that Tony actually started talking. Rhodey chalked it up to the decades of trust they had together, but by the end, Rhodey was more than ready to kick some space ass.

"THAT SON OF A BITCH! HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO YOU?!"

"It's all my fault Rhodey! It's all my fault! If I had just given FRIDAY new protocols or just locked my FUCKING door!" Tony was crying and Rhodey's heart was breaking.

"No!" shouted Rhodey as he pulled Tony into a bear hug. "Don't you ever say that again Tony. None of this is your fault. What Quill did was inexcusable. He never should have taken advantage of you whether he knew it was the law or not. You were vulnerable and he took advantage. End of story. You did nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong, Tony."

Tony ended up crying into Rhodey's shoulder before he passed out from exhaustion. Rhodey just tucked him into bed and called Pepper and Happy to let them know what happened. They all needed to be there for Tony.

Tony spent the rest of the week holed up with Rhodey and Peter in his room. Rhodey brought the comfort while Peter brought the laughs. That kid was so good and pure. Peter brought stories and candy every time he visited. It helped bring up the mood when things got too dark and gloomy.

A week after that Pepper and Happy managed to come down to visit. They managed to get Tony out of the compound and outside to get some sun. It helped improve Tony's mood a little bit. At least they got him to eat and get fresh air. But even that didn't last long.

Tony had started feeling sick. He would wake up in the morning wanting to throw-up. Certain foods sent him running for the bathroom. It was hell. At first, he chalked it up to being even more depressed about Quill and the other Guardians fucking off back to space and the stress of trying to get the Rogue Avengers pardoned.

That wasn't it.

FRIDAY was the one to suggest buying a pregnancy test. Quill hadn't used any protection during Tony's heat. It was more a precaution than anything to buy the test. FRIDAY made sure that the order was done anonymously, and by the end of the day, Tony had the test in his hand. He made sure that he was alone when he took it. He didn't need everyone else being overly concerned about him. He didn't know if he could take their sad looks anymore.

So, Tony took the test and waited. He curled up on the floor of his bathroom with his head between his hands and his legs shaking. He really didn't know how he should be feeling. But, in true scientific fashion, Tony just wanted an answer. He would deal with the outcome when he got it.

After five minutes Tony looked up and picked up the stick of destiny. The second Tony looked at it, he started to cry. There, on the test, were two pink lines. He was pregnant.

XXXXXX

When May Parker heard a knock on her door at 10 o'clock at night on a Saturday, she knew something was up. Peter was out doing his Spider-Man thing and she wasn't expecting any company. So, she approached the door with apprehension.

She was not expecting to open that door to find Tony Stark himself. And he didn't even look like his normal well put together self. Tony was wearing track pants and an old MIT hoodie. He looked almost… scared.

"Mrs. Parker… Um… may I come in?" asked the genius timidly. That was when May knew something was wrong. Tony Stark was anything but timid. She ushered him inside and closed the door.

"I'm sorry for intruding. I just didn't know where else to go." Whispered Tony as he wrapped his arms around himself. "It's just… you're a nurse and I didn't have anywhere else and…" Tony's voice choked off and a tear rolled down his cheek.

Mr. Stark, what happened? Are you hurt?" asked May as she got Tony sitting down on the couch. Tony just shook a little bit. He was definitely going into shock. May was quick to wrap the poor man in a blanket and check him over for obvious injuries. Buy the time she was done, Tony had managed to calm down enough to talk without tripping over his words.

"Mr. Stark… Tony, can you tell me what happened?" prodded May. After a moment, Tony answered.

"Do you know what happened between me and a member of the Guardians?" asked Tony sullenly. May nodded.

May knew what happened between Tony and Quill. She only knew because Peter had come home upset after he had found out what had happened due to snooping around where he shouldn't. May had given him a long talk about all the laws protecting him and to come to her or another trusted adult if he ever felt unsafe around someone.

"Well, I'd been feeling really sick lately. I've been throwing up a lot, certain smells make me nauseous. I've just been feeling like shit. It was my AI, FRIDAY, who suggested I take a pregnancy test. So, I took one and…and…"

"You're pregnant." Supplied May and Tony nodded and began to cry silent tears.

May ended up giving the man a shoulder to cry on. She had felt sick when she learnt what had happened, and with this new revelation, she knew she had to help in some way. Tony had done so much for Peter. He helped bring the kid out of his shell. He gave Peter the resources he needed to be safe and succeed. Offering comfort and help was the least she could do.

"Well Tony, I hate to be the one to say this, but without the Alpha here the only thing we can do is try our best to keep you and the baby healthy." Tony just sighed as his hands shook. For all the rights Omegas had gotten over the years, the right to choose was unfortunately not one of them. And, to top it all off, Tony knew that he would need to find a new Alpha and bond with them before the baby was born or else there was a high chance of sickness and death. With Thanos coming, death wasn't really an option.

May eventually got Tony to calm down enough to lay down and drink something. Once she knew he was comfortable she walked over to the kitchen to send Peter a text.

May- Peter. You might want to come home. We have a bit of an emergency.

Peter- What happened? What's wrong?

May- Tony just found out he's pregnant and is freaking out about it. I think he needs your support.

Peter- OMW

Not even 10 minutes later Peter was climbing in through the window and pulling off his suit in favour of sweatpants and a science shirt that said, "I'm one lab accident away from becoming a super villain" Peter made a b-line for the couch and immediately cuddle up to Tony. He began telling the man about his day and how this nice old lady had bought him a churro after he helped her cross a busy street.

That night, all three of them ended up sleeping in the living room. When morning came they all made their way back to the compound. Thankfully it was May's day off and Peter had the day off school. The drive back actually put a bit of a smile on Tony's face. Peter had gotten his learner's permit and Tony let him drive the Audi back to the compound. He had both Tony and My hitting the imaginary breaks but Peter was all smiles. And when Peter smiles it's contagious.

When they got back to the compound May whisked Tony away to medical to do a thorough check-up while Peter when to go tell Rhodey what had happened. After running a series of test, May was able to confirm that Tony was indeed pregnant and he started crying again. Things just really weren't working out in his life. Because he was pregnant, Tony had to go off all of his anti-anxiety and depression medication for the health of his pup. That wasn't good. At least he could still take his heart medication.

Still, Tony would need to be monitored closely throughout this whole ordeal. From there Tony's life was ruled by doctors appointments with May and trying to fight off his depression enough to function. Because Tony had to go off some of his meds for the health of his pup, his depression was trying to damn hard to get the better of him. Thank fuck for Rhodey and Vision. They made sure Tony ate the right things, got enough sleep, and had enough human interaction.

Peter would visit often. The kid was honestly the only one that was excited about the pup. His excitement was infectious and he even managed to get Tony to do some online shopping with him for things for the pup.

There were honestly some days where Tony just couldn't believe he was pregnant. It didn't feel real. Even though he'd seen the pup in ultrasounds and he could see the beginnings of a baby bump. It was hard for Tony to grasp the situation. He did decide to try and make the best of the situation. He wanted to keep the pup's gender a secret until they were born. That was because he knew that his friends would go overboard with the baby stuff.

The first time Tony felt the pup kick was when the whole situation seemed to set in. He was carrying a pup. HIS pup. He cried when he felt the first few clear kicks. Tony knew that he was going to try his best for this pup. He was going to give them the childhood he never had. He was NOT about to fail his pup. At the moment Peter and this pup where the only things holding him together. Try as they might, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy just didn't have the same healing energy as a rambunctious teenager.

Tony was also very lucky so far. His pregnancy was considered very high risk due to his age and medical problems. Every week May was down at the compound checking up on him and the baby. So far, they were healthy. Well, as healthy as someone with chronic heart problems could be. But at least the baby was doing well. Actually, things were going well in general. Could they be better? Absolutely! But everyone was alive and healing.

Then, four months after Tony had found out he was pregnant, the Rogue Avengers returned.

That morning Tony was a mess. King T'Challa had called ahead to let Tony and the others know when they would be arriving back at the compound. Tony was stressed the whole morning. Rhodey and Vision kept hovering close by to keep an eye on Tony. Peter had wanted to be there but he had school and Tony wouldn't let him skip.

Hope Van-Dyne, aka The Wasp, had also shown up that morning. She had a bone to pick with some of the Rogues and Tony couldn't wait to see her tear them a new one. Tony had actually babysat her a few times when they were little. Tony was 6 years older then her so he was the one in charge when their fathers were in meetings. It was one of the few times that Tony got to run around and play games.

Tony was still a mess though. He was dreading the Rogues coming back. They had hurt him horribly in the past. They had used and abused him, blaming him for things out of his control. Tony didn't want them to hurt his pup. Especially that little witch Wanda. He needed to keep his family safe. That was his first priority. As well, Tony knew that he didn't owe the Rogue anything. He was giving them housing and food, everything else they could deal with on their own. Tony couldn't do their weapons for them because he was barred from the lab. It was for his own safety.

So, with the Rogue arriving soon it was time to get ready. Unfortunately for Tony, none of his nice clothes fit anymore, so he was stuck with a pair of grey sweatpants and a well worn MIT sweatshirt. Everyone else was dressed nice, Tony just felt like a slob.

By the time the jet holding the Rogues and T'Challa arrived, a sombre mood had settled over the compound. None of them were ready to meet with their former friends. Rhodey, Vision, and Hope went outside to greet the jet. Tony waited inside so that if he felt faint and needed to sit down, he could. Tony ended up standing in the kitchen with a glass of ginger ale. He could hear some commotion outside and was absolutely dreading coming face to face with the people who had hurt him. Really, there were only two people that Tony wasn't mad at out of that group. He wasn't mad at Barnes for killing his parents. It wasn't him and he wasn't in control at the time. He was more made at Rogers than anything. Captain Hypocrite could go piss of for all he cared. The other person he wasn't mad at was Scott Lang. It seemed like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He could only hope that the Rogues hadn't turned Lang against him before they could even properly meet.

Tony was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the back door opening up. Just as Tony looked up the Rogues walked in followed by Rhodey, Vision, and Hope.

"Wow, Stark. You couldn't even be bothered to actually get dressed for us? Are we that unimportant to you?" sneered Clint the second he laid his eyes on Tony.

"None of my clothes fit." Mumbled Tony as he wrapped his arms around his growing belly. Nobody seemed to have heard him though.

"Alright, guys calm down. Nobody is going to make fun of anybody here. We still have stuff to go over before you all head to your rooms. Those were left untouched by the way. They are exactly as you left them." Began Rhodey as he tried to get the rooms attention back on him. It didn't work. All of their eyes were on Tony, who looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you come outside to greet us Stark. You of all people should know about proper etiquette." Spoke Steve as he gave Tony the "eyebrows of disappointment". Tony just hugged his midsection tighter.

"I haven't been feeling well. Inside is safer for me." Whispered Tony. He was feeling a little nauseous.

"You're just being a baby. Just cut the crap Stark." Snapped Clint. There were a few nods from the other Rogues. Well, all of them except Scott who just looked uncomfortable.

"Wait a second guys." Interrupted Natasha as she sniffed the air. "I think there's some merit to that claim. Someone here smells like a pregnant Omega."

And with that, all eyes in the room turn to Tony who just became increasingly uncomfortable. Before Rhodey and Hope could deescalate the situation, the room erupted in shouting.

"Of course the SLUT is pregnant." Shouted Clint and Tony tried his best to keep his emotions in check.

"I didn't choose for this to happen." Whispered Tony once more. The Rogues looked angry. Scott just looked concerned.

"Of course you didn't choose for it to happen. You were probably just slutting it up as usual. Why any Alpha would get with you is a complete mystery." Snickered Wanda as her hands flared with small sparkles of red.

"Where even is the Alpha anyways Stark? How much did you pay them to leave you alone with their pup?" snapped Clint. Tony felt like crying.

"He's not here. I didn't pay him anything. He just… he just…" Tony was beginning to stumble over his words as he began to panic. He didn't want to remember what had happened to him.

"He just what? Stark, you can't blame others for your bad decisions." Condemned Steve and Tony felt a few tears leak loose. The room was full of invasive questions. Rhodey, Hope, and surprisingly Scott tried their best to get the room to calm down. It was some shouting from Wanda that finally made Tony crack.

"What do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to tell you that I was taken advantage of during my heat by someone I trusted? Do you want to know every dirty little detail like the animals you are? Just piss off and leave me alone!" shouted Tony as tears rolled down his cheeks. He made his way swiftly out of the room only to make it halfway to his room before he slid down the wall and began bawling his eyes out on frustration and fear.

"Wow, you guys are assholes. Can't you see that he was upset?! Why did you try to push the issue? Why the hell did I even follow you guys in the first place?" Shouted Scott as he looked over the room. None of the Rogues even had the decency to look guilty.

While Rhodey and Hope got the Rogues under control and back on track, Scott ran off to go see if Tony was alright. He found the man crying on the floor in the hallway. He made his way over to make sure that Tony wasn't hurt. He didn't look hurt, just upset.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Spoke Scott softly as he took a seat next to Tony on the floor. "Nobody should ever have to go though something like that."

Tony just looked down at his hands but didn't resist when Scott pulled him into a hug.

"For what it's worth I'm sorry about the whole airport fight. I was in the wrong on that one." Now that got Tony's attention. He wasn't expecting any of the Rogues to apologize.

"You know, once I got to Wakanda and had heard about the accords I immediately asked to read them. The second I read them I realised I messed up and chose the wrong side. Just goes to show that you need both sides of the story before you make a decision. And also that sometimes listening to Captain America blindly is not a good idea."

"I think you're the only one who actually read through the accords. Thanks… I guess." Smiled Tony tearfully.

He and Scott ended up talking on the floor for a little bit longer. It was mostly about trivial stuff. Things to get Tony's mind off of what had happened with Quill. Turned out that Scott had been teaching himself magic tricks to keep himself occupied while in Wakanda. They had a bit of a laugh. After a while though, Tony began to get tired, so Scott helped him up and to his room so he could rest before he rejoined the rest of the group. Rhodey greeted him with a smile before he returned to yelling at the others.

That night Scott couldn't help but think about Tony. The Omega was nothing like how the Rogues, mainly Clint and Wanda, had painted him. He was just a scared, scarred man who wanted love and affection. How could the others not see that? Scott had only known Tony for like an hour and he could see that clearly. It kind of pissed him off. And Scott wasn't easy to piss off. The Alpha in him was fuming at the way Tony was being treated.

The next day Scott and Clint's kids and their other parents arrived at the compound. Cassie was over the moon excited to see her father. Paxton and Maggie were also there. They were both mad at Scott but knew that he loved Cassie and would always protect her.

Clint on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. Laura was furious with him for leaving her and the kids when he had promised her that he was retired. She had slapped him hard when he tried to put all the blame on Tony for the whole accords things. Laura knew different. She had read the accords herself and Tony had given her and her children protection from Ross and all the other nasty people while Clint was on the run. Laura was also a smart woman. No sooner did Clint start fuming about Tony and the accords did Laura serve him with divorce papers. Clint could see the kids and still be in their lives, but Laura was sick and tired of his excuses and lack of regard for his family.

Not too long after the kids arrived, May Parker showed up at the compound with a medical folder. She called all the adults into a room, with the exception of Tony and had them all sit down. She was there to talk and she meant business.

"Alright, people let me introduce myself before I get down to business. My name is May Parker and I'm a registered nurse. I'm here to talk to you all today about Tony and his situation." Started May before she was quickly interrupted.

"Why the hell do you need to tell us about this stuff. The slut got pregnant. So what?" snarked Clint before Laura slapped him upside the head.

"You need to know all of this because he has a serious medical condition on top of being pregnant and he will need help. I can't always be here and the more people who know what to do the better." Explained May in a no-nonsense way.

"I still don't see the point. He and his bastard child can die for all I care." Whispered Wanda. Nobody heard her except Scott who looked absolutely scandalized by what she had said.

"You guys can hate Tony all you want, but at the end of the day, his health and the baby's health is more important than your useless grudges. Now, we are going to go over all the health stuff so that if something happens, you're able to help out if needed." Spoke May in such a manner that even Natasha was feeling a bit intimidated.

Surprisingly Scott Lang was the only one of the Rogues actually paying attention. After seeing Tony just completely breakdown in fear and anxiety the day before he knew that he had to do something. If helping with the medical stuff and offering comfort and compassion was what he could do to help, then by god that was what he was going to do.

So, while May explained all the medical stuff to the Rogues, Tony ended up laying down on the couch. He took the time to look over a few new blue prints that Pepper needed. He worked in relative silence of a few moments until he was interrupted by a small child standing in front of him.

"What are you doing?" asked the child. Tony looked up and smiled.

"I'm looking over some blueprints for a new medical device." Explained Tony as he showed the designs to the child.

"That's so cool! What does it do?"

"It helps people who can't walk anymore walk again."

"That's amazing!" shouted the child and Tony couldn't help but give her a small smile.

"What's your name. My name's Tony." Spoke Tony as he introduced himself.

"My name is Cassie. My Daddy is Ant-Man. He's a superhero like you." Smiled Cassie. "Are you having a pup?" she asked as she saw Tony's growing bump.

"Yes, I am." Tony smiled a bit as he saw Cassie's eye's widen.

"Are you having a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know yet. I want it to be a surprise." Tony smiled as Cassie looked confused.

"Why?"

"You know when it's your birthday and you get to open presents and be surprised by what's in them. It's like that." Explained Tony. Cassie just nodded with a smile.

"Do you wanna draw dinosaurs with me?" asked Cassie. Tony nodded and soon enough the two were sitting at the kitchen table and drawing dinosaurs. At one point they had come up with this elaborate story involving the dinosaurs and a magic kite. It helped keep Cassie occupied until the adults were done with their meeting.

The second Scott emerged from the meeting, Cassie was all over him and telling him about her afternoon.

"I'm sorry if she was bugging you." Apologised Scott. Once Cassie had stopped talking.

"No, it's fine. We talked and drew dinosaurs." Spoke Tony. He felt on edge around the Rogues but he felt better around Scott.

"You're good with kids. You're going to make a great parent." Smiled Scott as he lead Cassie out of the room. Tony just sat there in surprise. Well, he sure wasn't expecting that.

The next few days with the Rogues back at the compound were tense. Tony, for the most part, stuck to his room and the kitchen. Peter swung by almost every day after school to hang out and do science. Rhodey and Vision were mostly busy with the Rogues so Tony was happy for the company. Tony also found company in little Cassie Lang. According to Scott, she thought Tony was cool and she wanted to be around cool people. Tony really couldn't complain. He found pups to be better then adults anyways.

The biggest surprise Tony had, was the fact that Scott actually spent time with him. They talked about science and engineering. Actually, Scott spent most of his free time with Tony. It was kind of nice. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to who wasn't Rhodey. Scott actually made an effort to make sure that Tony was comfortable. He even managed to make Tony laugh which was no mean feat.

So, over the past month, Tony and Scott got closer. Scott even helped Tony get his pup's nursery ready. Tony couldn't really believe what was happening. Scott was being so sweet and kind and expected nothing in return. He was nothing like almost all of the Alphas Tony had met in the past. It was refreshing.

By the time Tony was six months pregnant, he had come to a stark (pun intended) realisation. He had fallen in love with Scott Lang. Scott was genuinely kind to him. He cared about Tony and his pup. He actually tried to make Tony's life easier.

The realisation hit Tony like a tonne of bricks. He didn't know if he was ready for any kind of relationship. What he had had with Quill was just too intense and painful. The thought of having something with Scott made Tony scared. He didn't want to get hurt again.

But the logical side of Tony knew that Scott was the furthest thing from a threat. He was sweet, respected Tony's space, and he even brought him food. Looking at it, Tony's standards were really low. It probably had to do with Howard being an abusive bag of dicks.

So, while Tony was having a mini crisis over realising his feelings for Scott, Scott was dealing with the same thing. It hadn't taken Scott long to realise that Tony was absolutely nothing like the media and the Rogue Avengers had painted him. Tony was one of the most caring people he had met. He was smart, he was good with kids, Cassie adored him. He was perfect.

Scott was also much more sure when it came to relationships compared to Tony. So, that night, Scott hatched a plan. He made Tony dinner that night and they ate together in Tony's room. Eating there had the benefit of having privacy and avoiding the Rogues who always felt the need to try and kick Tony out of the kitchen when he was actually hungry.

After dinner, Scott helped Tony lie down on the couch in his room so they could watch a movie. They ended up watching some cheesy romance film that made them laugh. Halfway through the film, Tony's head migrated onto Scott's lap. Scott ran one hand through Tony's curls and the other rested on Tony's belly. Surprisingly, Tony had zero problems with this arrangement. He actually felt comfortable and protected. It was a nice feeling. One he hadn't felt since he was a scrawny teen sharing a room with Rhodey at MIT.

By the end of the movie, Tony had to sit up for a bit. The pup was kicking up a storm and a change of angle was needed. Scott helped him sit up but he didn't remove his arm from Tony's shoulders.

"That was fun. I like spending time with you." Smiled Scott. Tony just blushed.

"I like spending time with you too." Mumbled Tony. "It's nice to spend time with people who don't hate me."

"I don't get why they hate you Tony. You are so much more then the what others say about you. You're funny, you're smart, you care deeply for others. What's not to love about you?" smiled Scott as he pulled Tony closer to his side. Tony turned a deeper shade of red and looked down at his hands.

"There are a lot of reasons to hate me." Murmured Tony.

"Well, I don't believe any of them. I like you Tony. I like you a lot and you deserve the world." Scott was giving Tony a soothing smile and Tony was still blushing. When Tony turned a bit to face Scott he made to say something. He wanted to say all the things that he hated about himself to prove Scott wrong, but he never got the chance. The second Tony turned around Scott had this dopey smile on his face that made Tony's heart flutter.

And that was when Scott lent in and kissed him.

XXXXXX

Tony couldn't believe what had just happened. Scott had kissed him. Scott liked him enough to kiss him. The idea kind of fried Tony's brain. But, even so, Tony managed to kiss back. By the time they broke apart Tony was blushing a deep shade of red and Scott was smiling.

"I hope that wasn't too forward?" spoke Scott sheepishly once Tony had gotten over the shock of the situation.

"You really like me?" whispered Tony and Scott had to strain his ears to hear him.

"Of course I do Tony. You're amazing. You're so sweet and kind. You're handsome and brave. I know you're scared but you don't have to be alone anymore."

And that was when Tony broke down. He could blame his pregnancy hormones all he wanted, but he was more relieved than anything. Scott just held Tony close as he cried tears of relief. Tony had always held out hope that there was someone out there for him. And here, Scott had already seen him at his worst. In theory, things could only go up from there.

"What about my pup? They're not yours." Asked Tony after a few moments of tears, his anxiety returning to him.

"Tony, I don't care about that. I promise that I will be there for you and this pup until you get sick of me. I promise I won't leave you like that space clown did."

Tony was beyond relieved to hear those words. Scott was so calming and trusting, he just made Tony feel better about everything. The two spent the rest of the day cuddling close in Tony's room. They ended up having a nap until FRIDAY alerted them that Cassie was looking for them.

From there Scott and Tony spent most of their time together. Scott slowly began moving his things to Tony's room. He was spending most nights with the Omega anyway so it made sense to have his clothes there. Things were nice. With Scott around, the Rogues mostly left Tony alone. Sure, Tony still had to deal with angry jabs from Wanda and Clint, and disappointing glares from Steve, but for the most part they left him alone when Scott was nearby. Nobody really wanted to piss the Alpha off.

Both Tony and Scott knew that they were moving kind of fast into this relationship. They knew that. But with Tony getting into his seventh month of pregnancy, they knew that time was of the essence.

"Scott… I want you to bond with me." Blurted out Tony one afternoon while they were cuddling. Tony was just about to hit his seventh month of pregnancy and he knew that he needed to bond.

"Are you sure about that Tony. I need you to be sure before we do anything, I don't want to take your choice away from you." Tony just smiled. Scott was so sweet. He really appreciated that he always asked Tony for consent. Tony's bar really was low.

"I'm sure. I can feel it. My body needs to bond to an Alpha to keep me and my pup alive. I trust you, Scott. I trust you to help me and my pup. Please, Scott. Don't make me beg. Please bond with me.

"Tony, I would be honoured to bond with you."

That night, Tony and Scott made love for the first time. It was a little bit awkward having a pregnant belly in the way, but it was so worth it in the end. Scott had been so gentle with Tony up until that point. It was amazing to see him lose control as he claimed his Omega. Tony just smelt so good and was making those sweet little noises that nobody would really blame him. And, when Scott's knot popped and he bit down on Tony's bonding gland, it was like coming home.

From there Tony and Scott got even closer. Rhodey was happy to see that Tony was happy. In Rhodey's opinion, Scott was 100X better than Quill. When Tony told May and Peter that he had bonded, they were both a bit skeptical. They just wanted what was best for Tony. But, Peter was quick to warm up to Scott after the two spent an afternoon building Lego with Cassie.

Cassie was a whole story on her own. Because her mom had re-mated after she left Scott, Cassie had a pretty decent understanding of what it meant to have a step parent. She didn't really understand the secondary gender aspect of mating though because both Paxton and her mother were both Betas. All Cassie understood was that Tony was now family and that she was getting a new little brother or sister.

That part got her really excited.

Since Cassie, Paxton, and Maggie had moved into the compound along with the Barton's, the young girl had spent a great deal of time with her father, and by extension, Tony. Peter would also spend every spare moment with them at the compound. Peter and Cassie got along great. They were so close that they were practically siblings. It made Tony happy. Peter was as good as his pup at this point and it made him happy that they were getting along.

A few weeks after they bonded, Scott accompanied Tony to his ultrasound appointment. May met them in the medical wing of the compound and got all the equipment set up while Scott helped Tony up onto the bed.

"Alright Tony, before we start I just have a few questions." Stated May, Tony nodded and they began.

"Now, has anything felt off lately? Any pain that's not related to the pregnancy?" Tony shook his head and was about to say "no", but Scott interrupted.

"He's had some pain around the arc reactor the past few nights. Also, he's not getting enough sleep." Spoke up Scott and Tony served him a look.

"Tattle tail." Scott just smiled back.

From there May want about checking Tony's heart. She did what she could to help her friend. His heart looked alright, the pain was most likely from the pup kicking his ribs. Soon after, May fired up the ultrasound machine and got to checking on the pup.

"Everything looks to be developing normally. You've got about 10 weeks left so we still have a lot of developing to do. But for now, everything is normal." Smiled May and Tony let out a sigh of relief. "Now Tony, are you sure you don't want to know the gender of you're pup?"

"I'm sure. I want it to be a surprise." May smiled knowingly and let the bonded pair head back to their room for lunch.

The next few weeks passed without incident. Scott and Tony fell into a routine and Cassie and Peter continued to bond. Tony ended up asking Maggie and Laura what to expect when he gave birth. That was one thing he was scared of. Tony was terrified that something would go wrong and he would hurt the pup. It gave him nightmares so bad that Scott was up with him for hours every night in the hopes of calming him down.

But, after talking with the other people who had given birth, Tony felt more reassured about the situation. That and Scott promised to be by his side the entire time. They were mates now, and mates don't leave each other when they are needed.

The weeks continued to pass and Tony felt more and more like a beached whale. At one point he seriously asked May if he was carrying twins because he looked gigantic. May assured him that everything was normal and that he was only carrying one pup.

Tony and Scott had finally finished the nursery. It looked beautiful. All the furniture was as safe as could be and everything was soft and pastel. Steve, for all he was annoyed with Tony, actually helped paint the pup's room. He painted little animals all over the walls to fit the jungle theme of the room. For all that Tony and Steve didn't get along, Steve wasn't going to take his anger out on an innocent pup.

So, with the nursery done, all they needed was for the pup to arrive. Tony was due to give birth in a couple of weeks and honestly, he was getting nervous. Scott helped a lot. Same with Cassie, Rhodey, Peter, and Pepper. They kept Tony occupied and not focusing on all the stuff that could go wrong. May was on call to the compound most days now. She and Peter had all but moved in and May had actually transferred from her hospital to work at the compound. That way she would be ready for when Tony went into labour.

Now, the day Tony actually went into labour started out like any normal day. Tony was 38 weeks pregnant, felt achy all over, and had a weird craving for cereal with chocolate milk. It was one of his more tame cravings. Scott still refused to kiss him when he ate the onions and chocolate.

So, the day started out normal. Scott and Tony shared a bath together, helped Cassie get ready for school before sending her off, and made breakfast. After the kids were at school the main living room of the compound was mostly quiet. Most of the others were out training or doing some work. Only Scott, Tony, and surprisingly Clint remained in the kitchen. Tony and Scott were sitting at the bar stools by the counter and talking while Clint ignored them and downing multiple carafes of coffee.

It was quiet in the kitchen. The sound of soft conversation floated through the air. It was all calm and peaceful. That was until Tony felt some twinging in his lower abdomen. He just brushed it off as regular pregnancy pain and continued to talk to his mate. He'd been feeling some cramping there for over a day at that point. It didn't really phase him. Clint continued to chug obscene amounts of coffee in the background, probably to make Tony jealous. Tony and Scott got to talking about whether the pup would be a boy or girl. Tony didn't care. As long as they were healthy he was alright. He had names picked out for either gender anyways.

About 30 minutes later, Tony felt another, much stronger twinge in his abdomen. The pain made Tony double over and grasp his belly. Scott was right by his side in an instant checking to made sure that Tony was alright.

"Are you alright Tony?" fretted Scott. Tony just smiled.

"I'm fine. It's probably just a Braxton hicks contraction. May said I should be getting them. It's normal." Responded Tony.

It wasn't just a Braxton hicks contraction.

Two hours later, while Tony and Scott were walking to their room, Tony suddenly doubled over once more in pain. But it wasn't just the pain that was alarming. There was a stream of liquid covering Tony's sweatpants. His water had broken.

Now, despite the fact that Scott had done this all before, he began to panic. He yelled at FRIDAY to alert May and to get medical ready. He helped Tony as quick as he could down to medical where May was waiting for them. Scott helped Tony change into a hospital gown before gently guiding his mate onto the waiting bed. May ended up giving Tony a quick check over to make sure that things looked alright before she went off to go get things ready.

Scott joined Tony on the bed as Tony turned to curl up in his side. He was way more comfortable that way. And Tony was going to seek out any comfort he could. He knew the next hours were going to get painful.

"We should probably let everyone know what's going on so they don't get mad at us." Tony murmured into Scott's stomach.

"That's a good idea." Agreed Scott as he ran his hand through Tony's curls. "FRIDAY, can you bring up a call with the rest of the team?" FRIDAY was quick to oblige and soon enough Scott was in a call with Steve Rogers and the rest of the team.

"Scott, where are you? We have a team bonding activity this afternoon. It's not like you to be late." Spoke up, Steve.

"Tony went into labour. We're down in medical." Explained Scott, and suddenly the room was amassed with chatter.

"Pepper and I will be right down. I'll send Happy to go pick up Peter from school." Spoke Rhodey as he got closer to the screen.

"I'll go pick up Cassie from school. She'll be furious if I don't get her." Stated Maggie.

Even with everyone talking they were still able to hear Tony whimpering in pain as another contraction passed.

"You doing alright Tones?" asked Rhodey in concern.

"I'll be fine as soon as this pup is out of me and in my arms Platypus." Groaned Tony. This was going to be a long day.

Scott talked to everyone a while longer and kept them all at bay with a promise to give updates every few hours. Despite what had happened in the past, most of the Rogues (except Wanda and Clint) were concerned about the birth. Tony wasn't really listening to the conversation. He just curled up closer to Scott and waited for the pain to get worse.

Another hour passed. Rhodey and Pepper come down to visit. They talked for a bit before May kicked them out to do an exam on Tony. He was only about 5cm dilated and still had a ways to go. Scott, true to his word, was at Tony's side the entire time. Tony, despite the pain he was in, was starting to get restless just staying curled up in the bed. So, Scott helped him up and they took a slow walk around the room. At one point they had FRIDAY turn on some music so they could dance a bit.

By the time dinner time rolled around, Tony had progressed a bit further. May predicted that it would probably only be a few more hours if Tony kept progressing as fast as he had. Peter and Cassie came in to visit. Both of them were super excited about the baby coming. Cassie had loads of questions that the adults tried to answer to the best of their ability, but some of them were a little bit harder.

Things were taking longer than a few hours. By 10'oclock at night Tony had stalled out a bit. Luckily the kids weren't in the room to see him in so much pain. They were out in the hall playing Monopoly with Pepper and Rhodey. Tony, on the other hand, was absolutely miserable. He'd never been in so much pain in his life and he'd had open heart surgery in a cave. Scott just felt helpless. He hated seeing his mate in so much pain and not be able to do anything about it.

Tony was so incredibly thankful that once 11'oclock rolled around May told him he was fully dilated and ready to push. At that point, Tony was ready to cry. Whether it was from pain, exhaustion, or relief, he didn't know. All he knew was that he would get to meet his pup soon.

"Alright Tony, on your next contraction I'll get to push for me. Alright?" spoke May. Tony nodded and began to mentally prepare himself. Scott squeezed his hand in support and the second the contraction hit, Tony pushed like his life depended on it.

"Holy Fuck! Jesus! Fucking Hell!" swore Tony as the pain intensified. Scott just dabbed a cool towel over Tony's sweaty brow and offered words of love and encouragement.

The next 45 minutes passed more or less the same way. Tony swore and tried to remember to breathe, Scott offered love and encouragement, and May gave instructions. But, they could all tell that Tony was getting exhausted. Though he had healed from having the new arc reactor put in, his chest was still delicate and all the pushing wasn't doing him any favours.

Tony was at the point where he didn't even have the energy or focus for words. He was just screaming and crying out in pain at every push. The whole compound could probably hear him, but Tony didn't care. He just wanted this pup out of him.

Despite all the pain, Tony was able to spare a thought for his mate. He was pretty sure he'd broken one of Scott's fingers with how hard he was squeezing his hand. But, Tony was only able to spare Scott a moment before another contraction hit and he cried out in pain. He was seriously questioning how some people had more then one kid if it was this painful.

"Alright, Tony. You're getting really close. I can see the head. You're almost done." Encouraged May. Tony nodded and kept pushing.

"You're so close Tony. Just a few more pushes and you can rest with the pup. You can do it, Tony." Spoke Scott as he stroked Tony's hair.

Five minutes later, right at the stroke of midnight and with a horrible pained scream, Tony and Scott welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world. The second the pup was placed on Tony's now bare chest, he was crying for a whole different reason. There were blood and body fluids everywhere, but at that moment, Tony had never felt so happy.

"Oh god Tony, he's beautiful." Cried Scott as he wrapped his arms around Tony and the pup.

Tony was lost for words. Scott was right, his pup was beautiful. And, what made Tony the happiest as he looked over his pup, he didn't seem to look anything like Quill. He looked just like Tony when he was little.

May helped Tony deliver the placenta not to long after his son was born. She made sure that both Tony and the pup were doing alright before she quickly helped clean them up before leaving. She wanted to give the new parents some time to bond before the onslaught of well-meaning visitors. Plus, it gave her the opportunity to let everyone know that both Tony and his son were alright.

"So Tony, what are you going to name this cutie?" asked Scott as he bundled his mate and pup up in blankets and cuddled them close. Tony paused for a bit before answering.

"Edwin. His name is Edwin James Stark-Lang," whispered Tony and Scott teared up.

"You want him to have my last name too?" gasped Scott and Tony smiled.

"He's you're pup too. We're a family. We stick together."

The two got about 20 minutes of time alone with the pup before Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, and Cassie were bursting into the room.

"Is that the pup?" asked Cassie as she climbed onto the foot of the bed.

"It is. Everyone I'd like to introduce you to Edwin James Stark-Lang." smiled Tony tiredly. Everyone instantly began cooing and offering their congratulations.

"You named him after me and Jarvis!" spoke Rhodey in awe. Tony smiled and nodded.

With everyone checking in on Tony, he almost missed Steve, Natasha, and Sam entering the room. They offered Tony and Scott their congratulations from the team. Nobody stuck around too long. They could see how exhausted Tony was. He'd just pushed a whole person out of his body. He deserved some rest.

Once everyone left, Scott helped Tony feed Edwin his first meal. As Edwin gently suckled from Tony's chest, he couldn't help but feel extremely grateful. Despite all the hardships that he had undergone in the last year, Tony had made it out in one piece with a mate who loved him and a beautiful, healthy son. It was worth it. Every minute of pain and heartbreak had been worth it for this moment. Tony wouldn't trade Scott and Edwin for the world.

Now if only things could stay that nice.

XXXXXX

No books could truly prepare Tony for what it was like to actually have a pup. All the books said how hard it was to raise a pup and keep them alive. Tony really wasn't having any problems when it came to taking care of Edwin. He was an easy baby. He didn't cry a whole lot and spent most of his time sleeping or trying to focus on things.

So, Edwin was easy. The only problem Tony was having was with himself. He'd been feeling like absolute shit since Edwin's birth. Scott did his best to help, but there was only so much he could do. There was one night, when Edwin was only a week old, where Edwin started crying. Edwin crying made Tony start crying, and Tony crying made Scott cry. So, everyone was crying and nobody really knew what to do. It wasn't fun.

But, despite feeling like garbage and his emotions going haywire, Tony still tried his best to be a good parent. Some members of the Rogues (you can guess who) tried to find as many flaws as possible in Tony's parenting. Tony tried not to let it get to him. He knew he was doing a good job and that Edwin was doing just fine, but sometimes Tony would just breakdown and cry over the words of his once friends. He blamed hormones on that one.

So, Edwin continued to grow and do typical baby stuff. Tony and Scott doted over him and Peter and Cassie loved spending time with him. Tony loved the fact that he had a family. It made him feel safe and loved. Two things he'd been sorely lacking in his life. Life was petty good. Edwin was healthy, Scott was an angel, Tony was happy.

Then two months later, Thanos showed up.

Well, more accurately, The Guardians showed up with Thor and Bruce in tow.

And Tony hated it.

The day started out normal. Tony woke up pretty early to feed Edwin. Scott helped Cassie get ready for school. Then a giant spaceship landed in the yard. The second Tony saw the ship he took Edwin and fled to his and Scott's room. Scott quickly followed and let Steve and the others deal with the people outside.

"Captain, where is Stark? We need to talk to him." Asked Thor as he and the others got off of their ship.

"He's back in his room taking care of the pup." Spoke Steve quite matter of fact.

"Tony had a pup?" asked a puzzled Quill. Steve just nodded and tried to get some answers from Thor and Bruce over what was going on.

The whole time Quill's mind kept wandering back to Tony. It seemed a bit strange to him that Tony had a pup. He'd only been gone from Terra for a year. It wasn't inconceivable for Tony to have a pup in that time, but it made him feel a little uneasy. Something seemed off.

"Look, Captain, I know you're the leader, but we really need to talk to Stark. Thanos is coming to Earth for the stones and he's our best defence. We've got a week at most before he shows up and we need to plan." Urged Thor.

"Fine, let's all go inside and I'll go get him and Scott." Huffed Steve before he lead the Guardians and his friends back inside the compound.

Once inside, Steve commanded FRIDAY to get Tony and Scott. The young AI did so begrudgingly. If the world wasn't at stake she would have just brushed the Rogues off to protect her family. About 10 minutes later Tony and Scott walked in. Tony looked exhausted and resigned while Scott stood at Tony's side protectively.

"Sorry, we're late. We had to put Edwin down for his nap." Mumbled Tony.

The second Tony spoke, Quill's eyes were on him and the man who must be his mate. Tony sure looked different from the last time Quill had seen him. He looked sleep deprived, but that was a given with a young pup. There was a mating bite that wasn't there before, and Tony generally looked softer. In Quill's mind, he still looked absolutely beautiful. So, he did what he'd been waiting a year to do. He spoke up to talk to him.

"Stardust?" Tony's eye's snapped over to Quill. And he looked absolutely furious.

"Don't you dare call me that. You used me and left me. You have no right to act all buddy-buddy with me." Seethed Tony. He was trying to keep his emotions in check and to be impartial. The known universe was at stake. But it was so hard to do with Quill in the room.

"What are you talking about Stardust?" asked Quill. He was a little bit confused. He remembered having absolutely amazing sex with Tony but then having to leave because of a call from the Nova Corps. He had to leave.

"Stop calling me that!" yelled Tony. "And how could you not know what you did. You raped me during my heat. Omegas can't consent during heat and you took advantage of me! And to top it all off, the second my heat was over, you fucked back off to space only leaving a note!"

That was when the situation really sunk in for everyone in the room. This was the first time most of them had heard about what actually happened. It was so bad that even Steve looked angry. Scott tried his best to calm his mate down while everyone else, including Clint and Wanda, started yelling at Quill. For the people who hated Tony to be yelling at another in his defence, well, the situation must have been bad.

It took a little while, but eventually, the yelling came to a standstill. Quill had to sit on the complete opposite end of the room away from Tony. He was feeling incredibly guilty over what he had done, and he knew that if it wasn't for the end of the universe situation everyone in the room would be handing his ass to him on a silver platter.

From there Thor and Bruce explained what had happened in the years they had been missing. There was something about a psycho sister and gladiator fights on a distant planet. It was all really confusing. But, when Thor told Tony that Thanos had attacked Loki on what remained of Asgard to capture the Space Stone. Loki had been killed while the rest of Asgard had been spared. But what was really unnerving was the whole time, Thanos had been muttering about "needing to beat Stark".

"Why the hell does he want me?" whispered Tony as he tried not to panic. Scott just held his mate close in an attempt to keep the peace.

"You destroyed his army back during Loki's invasion. You are his number one threat and our best chance of defeating him for good." Explained Thor. Tony just sort of sat there in shock. He really didn't know what to say to that.

Luckily that was when FRIDAY alerted Tony that Edwin was awake and needed to be fed. Scott took that opportunity to go fetch the infant so that Tony didn't need to get up. As much as Tony wanted to leave the room and all the tension he was thankful to remain sitting. He wasn't sure he legs would support him if he tried to get up.

"Hey, there baby boy." Cooed Tony once Scott returned with Edwin and placed him in Tony's arms. "Are you hungry sweetie?"

Nobody really bat an eye as Tony began to feed his son. It was just a normal occurrence at the compound. Although, Thor was immediately taken with Edwin. Who knew that Thor liked kids so much. It was kind of funny to watch Thor make funny faces at Edwin and have Edwin ignore them in favour of falling asleep in Tony's arms.

From there they continued trying to plan for Thanos' attack in hushed voices as to not wake Edwin. One thing that Tony made vehemently clear as soon as the discussion began was that the fight needed to happen away from the compound. There were kids there. If anything happened to them it would be horrible.

After that, they really got into planning. Thor mentioned this man called Dr. Strange who was apparently a sorcerer. He had the Time Stone in his possession and would be of use during the fight. They also tossed around a few ideas on how to best defeat Thanos. Some were a bit more… R rated… than others. They ended up calling King T'Challa for help. He had some good ideas, and by the time the older kids were coming home from school, they had a solid plan.

Tony wasn't too happy about some parts of the plan. They would be leaving the next day for Wakanda and Tony didn't like the fact that he would have to leave Edwin for any length of time. Sure, May and Peter would be watching him, but that didn't make it easy. Scott ended up holding Tony tight that night as he cried.

The next day everyone was up bright and early to make their way to Wakanda. Tony made sure that Edwin had everything he needed, but despite May's reassurance that Edwin would be taken care of, it still took 40 minutes and a boatload of tears before Tony was ready to lave his pup.

The flight to Wakanda felt like it took years when in reality it was only a few hours because of Tony's new Quinjet design. The whole time everybody was on edge. The only talking was either words of reassurance or finalizing plans.

Tony mostly sat in silence while Scott held him close. In all honesty, Tony really wasn't a fan of the plan. First, they were going to have Princess Shuri remove the Mind Stone from Vision so that Wanda could destroy it. Meanwhile, everyone else would be gearing up to fight. That was what Tony was scared about. The fight. Their goal was to get the gauntlet off of Thanos and pass it off to Tony so he could finish off the Titan for good. Thanos already had three stones. It was going to be a fight for their lives. Tony hated the fact that he was going to be the one to use the gauntlet. The only reason it was him was that he was apparently "Thanos' equal." Therefore, in theory, he should be able to weald the gauntlet. But, the gauntlet with THREE INFINITY STONES was something extremely powerful. If they were wrong, Tony was going to die and leave Edwin without one of his parents.

Once they were in Wakanda, everyone got to work immediately. Shuri took off with Bruce, Vision, and Wanda while everyone else got their suits ready to go and turned their eye's to the sky. Thankfully, it was all clear. By the end of the day, Wanda had destroyed the Mind Stone and Vision was resting and recovering from having the stone removed. Everyone slept in shifts and someone was always monitoring what was going on in the atmosphere. They needed to Know the exact second Thanos arrived. When it was Tony's turn to keep watch, Scott was right there by his side.

"I can hear you thinking from over here baby. What's going on?" asked Scott as he scooted over.

"Just… everything." Huffed Tony. "With Quill coming back and Thanos about to attack, I just can't seem to turn my brain off. I don't want anyone to get hurt and I don't want to die. Like, I used to want to die, but I really don't want that anymore. I have you and Edwin, and Peter, and Cassie to worry about. You guys make me so happy. I don't want to die and lose all of this." By the end, Tony was fighting to hold off tears and Scott's heart was breaking.

"Tony, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. To keep US safe. We're a team, you and me. You're my mate. I love you and I'm never letting you go." That got Tony to smile a little bit.

Then all hell broke loose.

Around 1 am they got an alert that a large, unidentified ship had entered the atmosphere above Wakanda. Everyone was woken up as they all quickly got ready to fight. Everyone made their way out of the city and into the forest, away from all the innocent civilians. Not too long after everyone arrived in full armour, a foggy blue portal opened up in front of them. Everyone took position and waited to see who came out.

"I'm looking for Tony Stark. Bring him to me." Commanded the Titan as he stepped through the portal. The team all proceeded to gather in front of Tony to protect him from Thanos' view.

"You're not getting him." Lashed out, Thor.

"I am merciful. If you give him to me, nobody else here will be harmed." Spoke Thanos almost softly and with care. It scarily reminded Tony of Obadiah Stane.

"You're not getting him." Spoke Thor again.

"Fine, I gave you all a chance, but I guess I'll have to do this myself." Grumbled the Titan.

That was when all the fighting broke out. Nobody was pulling their punches. Now was not the time. Tony was firing repulsor blasts from a distance to keep himself out of the way until they got the gauntlet, Steve's shield could be seen ricocheting off of trees. Thor was lighting up the battle with dancing displays of lightning, and Scott could be seen growing and shrinking as he saw fit. The best description of the battle was pure chaos. There were people shouting orders, blood dirt caked everyone's body, and the cried of pain filled the air as Thanos tried to use the three stones he had to his advantage.

Things got worse when Sam accidentally revealed that they had successfully destroyed the Mind Stone. Thanos went ballistic. Tony had to enter the fight to get up close and personal with Thanos just to help everyone else stay in the game.

Not long after that, they had their first major injury. Wanda, despite her best efforts really wasn't a match for the powers of the Space Stone. Thanos threw her through a portal and over the trees. She landed hard and broke her leg in 3 places and got a concussion. She was out for the remainder of the fight.

The others weren't doing much better. There was so much blood on the ground that the sight of it made Tony feel sick. Thankfully, they were not at a point where they could attempt their plan to take down Thanos. Hopefully, it would work.

Scott, with the help of Clint and his impeccable aim, shot one of his growth disks at Thanos' gauntlet. While Thanos was distracted by the gauntlet suddenly being taller than he was, Gamora, Nebula, and Rhodey were able to get Thanos to the ground. That gave Scott just enough time to resize the gauntlet and pass it off to Tony.

The second Tony slid the gauntlet onto his arm he felt a mighty surge of power and smelled burning flesh. That would have worried him more but taking down Thanos was the priority. The only real downside to their plan was that Tony had NO FUCKING CLUE how to use the gauntlet. When Thanos used it he mostly just clenched his fist and it did stuff. So, Tony clenched his fist and hoped for the best.

What followed was a flash of light and a whole lot of screaming.

What Tony didn't realize at the time was that HE was the one screaming. Thanos had been killed. They got lucky. Tony really had no idea how to use the gauntlet. But, Tony was still screaming. Thankfully, but the time Thanos was dead, Tony's screams had quieted down to pained whimpers and shock. Scott was quick to run over and attempt to calm him down while T'Challa called back to the city for medical aid for their injured teammates.

Tony was still in shock and shaking horribly as the doctors in Wakanda checked him over. His left arm had a bad break that they had to set as well as a few severe burns that got treated. Everyone spent the night resting and healing inside the safety of Wakanda's borders. Scott didn't leave Tony's side for a second. The both needed the reassurance that the other was alive and there with them. At one point Scott managed to video call May and Peter back at the compound so check in with the kids. Cassie and Peter were over the moon to know that Tony and Scott were relatively alright. Edwin just slept, completely uncaring of the world around him. He was such an easy going pup.

By sunrise, everyone was making their way back to the compound. Rhodey had already told the UN what had happened and how everything had ended. It made Tony's life easier not having to do that. He hated giving reports. The jet was silent as they flew back. Nobody had much energy to do much of anything.

The second they arrived back home, those who had kids made a b-line for them. They needed to reassure themselves that they were safe and unharmed. Tony and Scott all but locked themselves away with Edwin, Cassie, and Peter. Having the kids around helped calm them down and made things a bit better. Tony wasn't panicking as much and that was always a plus.

The next day, the Guardians saw that it was time for them to depart. They had gotten a call from some space government and they needed to report in. So, bright and early, they began packing up their ship in preparation for departure.

Now, since Quill had learnt that Tony had given birth he couldn't help but wonder if the pup was his. The timeline would match up, it was logical. Honestly, Quill was really hung up on the whole thing. He needed to know if the pup was his. Sure, he had fucked up in the worst way possible when it came to Tony, but he still needed to know. So, when the Avengers, both old and new, made their way out of the compound to say farewell to the Guardians, Quill took that time to corner Tony and ask him.

"Tony, I have to know… Is Edwin my son?" pleaded Quill as he made to leave back to space with the rest of the Guardians. Tony took a moment before answering.

"You may have been the one to get me pregnant, but you will never be Edwin's father. That role belongs to my mate, never you." And with that, Tony turned his back on Quill and never looked back. He didn't see the pained look on Quill's face, nor did he see Quill get slapped by Gamora. All Tony cared about was getting back to Scott and Edwin. He had a family to worry about.

Time passed and Edwin began to grow up. By the time he was two, he had a very definitive personality. Edwin was a quiet boy who loved reading and blocks. He loved dinosaurs and playing dress up. Everyone loved him.

Life at the compound had mellowed out a bit. Sure, there were still some Avengers who didn't like Tony, but it didn't get to him like it used to. For once, Tony was happy. Like really truly happy. He had a family, something that he had longed for since he was little. Sure, his life hadn't come easy, but in the end, it was worth it. It would always be worth it.

* * *

Hello friends. Thank you for reading my fic. I know that this was an extremely rare pare, but I'm thankful you stuck around. On a side note, I actually considered including the meme where Ant-Man crawls up Thanos' ass and expands as a viable option. Just for shits and giggles. Obviously, I didn't to that. If you can't tell by that last bit, I fucking hate writing fight scenes. I'm just not that good at them. I'm getting better, but still. But, thank you for reading my fic. If you are so inclined you should read some of my others like 'More Than He Seems", and "The Prince's Love". They're both Marvel and pretty good If I say so myself. So, thanks for reading. I'll see you around! -Shadows.


	5. A family forged through change

Post Endgame fix-it. CONTAINS SPOILERS!

After saving the universe and miraculously surviving, Tony Stark finally gets to retire with his wife, daughter, a rambunctious teenager, and a moody cyborg. But hey, conventional family is overrated.

Rated G, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan/May Parker.

Well hello, friends. I've written another post Endgame one-shot. Would you look at that? This one is all fluff. I like fluff. Especially because right now I still cry sometimes over Tony's death in that movie. I'm not taking it well so I'm fixing it with fan fiction. The best way to fix things. On a side note, I took some liberties with Nebula's age. We don't really know it so I'm having a little fun. So, get ready for some Stark sibling fluff and enjoy!

* * *

Nobody was quite sure how Tony managed to survive the full force of using all six Infinity Stones. It could have been a one in a million cosmic fluke, or just the stones saying thank you for getting rid of Thanos. Either way, Tony managed to survive. Sure, he ended up losing his right arm, as well as gaining some nice scaring on his face and some breathing problems. (He had to carry an inhaler now) But Tony was alive and that was all his family cared about.

Tony had stayed in the hospital in Wakanda for a month after the final battle against Thanos. Rhodey and Cap had been the ones to tell the media exactly what went down with Thanos. They told the world of Natasha's sacrifice, of Bruce bringing all the dusted people back, and of Tony using all the stones to vanquish Thanos and his army for good. There were memorials all across the world for the fallen and both Bruce and Tony were being heralded as heroes. There was talk of presenting the two of them with some sort of award once Tony was well enough. Tony tried to argue that it was a team effort but nobody would hear it. The whole universe would have been dead if it wasn't for Tony's quick thinking.

Tony didn't really care though. His family was safe and that was all he cared about. May let Peter skip out on school so that he could stay in Wakanda with Tony and the others. Tony still smiled at the memory of him waking up to see Peter and Morgan listening closely as Nebula taught them how to play paper football.

Speaking of Nebula, Tony had all but adopted her in the time they had spent together. While they drifted in dead space together, Tony very quickly learnt that Thanos was a very shitty parent. Even shittier than Howard. It was clear that Nebula, despite only being 22 in human years at the time, was in need of a decent parental figure. So Tony did what he did with any and all science children he came across. He "adopted" her as his own.

Once he was on the mend after they returned to Earth, Tony was quick to bring Nebula into the fold of his little family. She was there alongside Rhodey, Happy, and Wong at Tony and Pepper's wedding. She was there when Morgan was born. She was family.

Morgan grew up calling Nebula her big sister. Nobody bothered to correct her. And, because Peter was like a son to him, Nebula gained a little brother when he returned from dust. Tony was happy. He was alive and he had his family.

Now that the world was slowly getting back to normal, Tony once and for all retired from being Iron Man. Nobody argued with him. He'd done enough for the universe it was time to rest. Once Tony returned back to his house by the river he took every opportunity he could to spend time with his kids. Nebula had elected to stay behind on Earth when the remaining Guardians and Thor had taken off. She wanted to learn things other than survival and anger. Tony was more than happy to have her stay. Peter was also off school for a while and would pick up where he left off in the fall along with all his friends who had also been dusted.

Now that it was summer, Tony took the opportunity to travel around a bit with the kids. He introduced Nebula to sports. She took quite the liking to football and rugby. She found the violence amusing. Peter would bring his friends Ned and MJ down to the house on weekends where they would do science with Tony. Morgan continued to grow like a weed and it became very apparent that she had inherited Tony's intelligence after she had built a little bottle rocket car with some help from Peter. Morgan wasn't allowed to touch hot or sharp things.

Pepper had things under control with SI. They had created more jobs in their clean energy and agriculture departments in the wake of the undusting to help with the problems that came along with the sudden gain in population. SI was thriving and people were slowly returning to normal. Tony was so proud of her. Pepper was true to good for him sometimes.

There was one day where Rhodey had asked Tony if he was ever going to build a new arm to replace the one he'd lost. Tony had thought about it, especially after he had a talk with Barnes about what it was like. But in the end, Tony decided not to. It was a physical reminder that he'd lived. That everyone was back. He could still work in his lab in the garage. Plus it gave DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers an excuse to help out and not make smoothies filled with motor oil. Rhodey understood his choice. They were as good as brothers after all.

Happy had started to date Peter's Aunt May. The reason Tony found out was because the teen came home one day with a pale face and shock in his eyes. Apparently, he'd walked in on them kissing. Tony teased him about it for a week.

There was one day where Tony caught Nebula whispering something to Morgan, Peter, and Peter's friends. All Tony could do was smile as he saw all of them getting along. Although, the sight should have concerned him because later that day he found all of his shoes filled with glitter and a flower crown glued to his head. Still, it was worth it to see everyone laughing. Even Nebula.

Most night's Tony would lay in bed and think while Pepper slept beside him. It was just like after New York in 2012. He had nightmares about the battle he'd fought in and couldn't sleep. With the world still recovering, therapists were in short supply so Tony had to make do with taking things out with his former teammates. He'd talk with Cap sometimes when he was around. He was old now but was more than happy to listen to Tony when he was feeling upset over the events that had transpired. Bruce helped too. They had both used the stones. They knew what it was like.

But still, it was quiet nights that got Tony thinking. In the 15 years since Tony had been kidnapped in that cave in so much had changed. Tony had never expected his life to turn out the way it had. He never expected to fight aliens. To meet Captain America and form the Avengers. He never would have thought about fighting fire people or even fighting his own team. He'd never even dreamed that he would have wound up in space fighting a Titan. He never believed that he would be the one to crack the code of time travel. It was almost too much to take in sometimes.

But that's life. It's a crazy thing. What should have been a normal weapons demonstration had changed his life. The once playboy who thought that he'd never have a family of his own now had one that he loved 3000. Tony Stark was a hero, but he was a hero with regrets. He wished things had gone better. He wished Cap had never lied and caused the fight. He wished that Ultron had never happened. He wished that he could have saved Peter back in Titan. But that was all in the past. Tony was a futurist, he had to look forward and cherish what he had created for himself. In the end, he'd done exactly what Yinsen had wanted him to. He hadn't wasted his life. Tony Stark had lived, and everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Well hello again. I hope you all liked the fic. I got this little plot bunny and I just had to write it. I think we all need some more fluffy stories in the wake of Endgame. In our hearts, Tony Stark will live on. Always and forever. So, with that, Don't forget to leave comments and kudos. Thank you so much for reading! -Shadows.


	6. Avengers Family Feud

After saving the world once again, the Avengers gather to play an admittedly dirty round of Family Feud. Maybe letting the Avengers run loose on television was a mistake.

Pepperony, rated T for language!

Did anyone ask for another Endgame fix-it/fluff? If not you're getting one anyways! Humour is a good thing. Just be prepared for some dirty jokes and some LANGUAGE! Also, It's hard to believe that Endgame has been out for a month now. It doesn't feel real. I'm still not dealing with Tony and Natasha's deaths well. But, now is not the time for tears. It's time for laughs. Enjoy!

* * *

When Pepper had suggested that everyone go on an episode of Family Feud, Tony was originally skeptical. On one hand, it would be a great team bonding thing and allow the public to get their first good look at the Avengers since the final battle against Thanos. On the other hand, it could lower everyone's IQ from sheer stupidity.

In the end, everyone who was present agreed to do it.

The team had been looking for an excuse to spend more time together in the wake of the battle. For the first month after they were all sort of separated to help the Earth deal with everyone coming back. Tony had been in and out of the hospital for a good while. After using the stones to snap Thanos and his lackeys out of existence, Tony had lost his right arm entirely and had some pretty fantastic scarring on the right side of his face. At least Morgan thought he looked cool.

One of the good things to come out of everything was that they got Natasha back. When Steve left to return the stones apparently the Soul Stone counted as a soul and in giving it back they were able to get Natasha in exchange. That certainly brightened everyone's day.

So, when the day of filming rolled around, everyone was more than ready to take a break from their hectic lives. It didn't really take much time for them to decide who was going to be on what team. On team one, which they were calling the OG's was Tony, Steve, Clint, Nat, Bruce, and Rhodey. Thor had flown off with the Guardians so Rhodey was more than happy to join up. The other team consisted of Sam, Wanda, Strange, Peter with his mask on, Bucky, and Scott. One rule they had to set down early before they even began was that Tony. Bruce and Strange would get a few extra seconds to hit the button due to their hand and arm injuries. Tony and Bruce had some reduced mobility on their left sides because they were trying to counter what was done to them by the stones. Strange just couldn't smack the button hard or the pain in his hand would flare up. So, they all decided to accommodate those who needed it.

Once they all arrived at the studio, Everyone was ready to go. Although, they did have a little extra tag-along with them. Morgan hadn't left Tony alone since the fight against Thanos. She was scared that bad guys were going to take her daddy away. But, to be fair, Tony felt the same. He didn't like having Morgan and Peter out of his sight for long. Let it be known that Tony's dad instincts were very powerful.

So, everyone entered the studio it was go time. Tony got Morgan settled in a room with a few games to keep her occupied and soon everyone was out on the stage in their respective teams. The cameras turned on, the host started talking and introduced everyone cheered.

From there, the greatest highlight reel ever made was published to YouTube.

It was only the first question and things were quickly going downhill. Steve was up first and he was going up against Sam. Surely nothing could go wrong? WRONG! It got dirty right off the bat.

"Alright, Avengers. Name something you don't want to find in your shoes."

Steve, ever the super soldier, was the first one to buzz in.

"A severed foot!"

"I'm sorry… WHAT?" laughed Sam along with everyone else. Steve just shrugged.

Surprisingly it was on the board.

It just wasn't higher than Sam's answer which was dirty socks. Team "Newvengers" ended up playing the round but failed to find all the answers. Team OG's was able to steal and got the points. From there, things just got even crazier. But, that was to be expected. The Avengers weren't exactly normal people. Tony and Peter were up next. Peter was wearing a normal outfit with his Spider-Man mask on top to protect his identity. Nobody cared, they just liked the fact that Spider-Man was there.

"Name something that you might get out of a lab accident."

Despite the fact that Tony got to keep his hand on the buzzer as an accommodation, Peter still beat him to it and had an amazing answer to go with it.

"A killer robot!"

All of the Avengers who had been present for the Ultron debacle collectively groaned. They had all moved on from that fight after they all found out what really happened from Tony, Wanda, and Bruce. But, it was still a sore spot.

Thankfully, Peter's answer wasn't on the board and Tony's answer of "superpowers" got his team the points once they uncovered all the other answers.

Next up were Bruce and Dr. Strange. Pitting two powerful minds against each other was always going to be interesting. If only they hadn't gotten such a mundane question.

"Name something you haven't done since Highschool."

Strange, despite his hands, was faster than a big, hulky Bruce and hit his Buzzer first. His answer of "gym class" got his team the points. Although, Scott's answer of "sex ed" almost lost them the whole thing. Tony had never seen Steve's face go redder than at that moment. He couldn't stop laughing as Clint and Wanda took their places.

"Name something you Do Not want to see when you wake up in the morning."

Clint was faster and hit the button with all the precision of the well-trained archer he was. Although, his answer of "one-night stand", despite being the top answer, had everyone laughing so hard they needed to take a moment. Especially once Rhodey shook Tony's bad shoulder by accident. Pain meds were the best thing ever at that moment. However, Team OG's did take home the points.

When it was time for Bucky and Natasha to square off everyone just knew that this whole game was not family friendly. Given who was playing it was hardly a surprise.

"Name a profession that Starts with the letter H."

In milliseconds Bucky had smashed his metal hand against the buzzer breaking it into pieces as he screamed out "HOOKER" waaaay too enthusiastically. Needless to say that he got the points for that round. Tony was just glad that Morgan wasn't watching. She was probably making something with too much glitter. Finally, it was Rhodey and Scott's turn. With those two goofballs, it was sure to be a good round.

"Name a job where you'd end up getting a lot of dollar bills."

Rhodey was faster and he answered "stripper" with a wink back at Tony.

In the end, Team OG's was able to take home the most points and move onto the next round. They chose to have Tony and Rhodey do the fast money round. The two were as good as brothers and had known each other for years. It was a no brainer. So, they sent Tony out of the room and had Rhodey go first.

"Name a yellow fruit."

"Banana."

"Name a type of vehicle."

"Car."

"Name a girls name starting with the letter M."

"May."

"Name something you use to clean the house with."

"Soap."

"And finally, name a type of Mexican food."

"Taco."

Everyone cheered and congratulated Rhodey as they waited for Tony to start his turn. They had high hopes for him seeing as he saved the entire universe. He could totally answer a few questions.

"Name a yellow fruit."

"Pineapple."

"Name a type of vehicle."

"Car." The buzzer went off. "Truck!"

"Name a girls name starting with the letter M."

"Morgan!" Tony smiled and the others laughed.

"Name something you use to clean the house with."

"Sponge."

"And finally, name a type of Mexican food."

"Burrito." The timer went off and everyone waited as the score was tallied.

Tony and Rhodey won easily. As they all celebrated it was easy to see the comradery that they all shared. They'd all been together through thick and thin. The bond the Avengers shared was so strong that not even death stood to tear it apart. That evening they all went out to dinner together. Tony held Morgan close to him as she told everyone about her day. Sometimes he just couldn't believe that he had this. This wonderful second chance. And he was eternally grateful to be there with his friends… no! His family. Because that's what they were. They were family.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the fic. Comments and kudos are appreciated. Feel free to check out my other stuff too! -Shadows


	7. Bi the way!

After years of staying silent, Tony Stark finally finds the courage to come out. Thankfully he has the best team in the world. Pairing Steve/Tony Rated T

Happy Pride Month everyone. Just a reminder: don't out people, it's ok to still be in the closet, be proud of who you are, and stand together. I also decided to flip the trope where Tony is the comfortable one and Steve deals with coming out. A little switch up now and again is nice. I hope you enjoy this Stony fic!

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Tony Stark was a man of secrets. He kept things close to his chest out of fear of getting hurt. He'd learnt that the hard way. Not even Rhodey knew the full extent of Howard's abuse to this day. That was how well Tony kept his secrets.

Tony kept his truths with him. He knew who he was, but he was so scared to open up and let people know. Sure, Rhodey and Pepper probably had an inkling, and Natasha was a spy so she definitely knew. Tony was just happy that she hadn't said anything. The world had not been kind to Tony Stark, but because nobody really knew the real Tony, nobody seemed to care.

It was a sunny day in June when the truth came out. It wasn't really Tony intention for things to happen as they did. But since when does life ever go his way? The day started normally. Everyone woke up and ate breakfast, consuming way too much coffee in the process. They discussed their plans for the day and what training they wanted to do later in the week.

"Actually guys, I'm busy for the next few days. There are a couple of pride events I'm attending so I won't be around. You guys are free to tag along if you want." Smiled Steve and some of the others nodded along.

For a man out of the '40s, Steve Rogers felt no shame about who he was and who he loved. And he shouldn't. But it still struck Tony as odd. Here was Steve who grew up in a time where being gay or bi was punishable by death. In contrast, there was Tony who was too scared to come out after what had happened the first time.

When Tony was 15 years old, he'd had enough of hiding. He just wanted to be himself for once. He didn't want to be Tony Stark son of Howard Stark. He just wanted to be Tony. Tony had planned on just telling his mom and Jarvis his secret. That wasn't what happened. It started with a family dinner when Tony was home for the summer. Howard wanted to know about his grades and his standings with the professors at MIT while Maria asked him if he'd met any cute girls. Oh if only Tony had watched his mouth.

"Um, I haven't really met that many girls… but there are some cute guys there." Spoke Tony sheepishly as he hoped for the best.

The best didn't happen.

Howard started shouting at him that he wouldn't have any "faggots in this house!" while Maria just looked at her son in disappointment. Tony ended up running to his room to hide. It didn't do him much good. Howard came in a few moments later and beat Tony over the head with an old wine bottle and brass knuckles. When Tony had gone back to MIT two days later covered in cuts and bruises. He told anyone who asked that he'd gotten in a fight. Tony returned to school that semester with a deep dark secret and a newfound hatred for his parents.

But things had changed. Tony had found people who actually gave a shit about his well being. He wanted to believe that he could tell them anything and he'd be safe. He wanted so badly to believe. The team had reacted to Steve coming out without even batting an eye. They supported him and Tony wanted them to support him too. He had everything all planned out in his head. But nothing ever goes to plan when you're Tony Stark.

"Hey Tony, I know you've got some free time later today. Wanna tag along with me?" asked Steve and Tony tensed up. He knew his reaction was visible to everyone. He could only hope that they didn't take his fears the wrong way.

"What's with the face Stark? You homophobic or something?" snapped Clint and Tony felt about ready to cry. This was not going his way and he knew he had to come out now or risk things getting worse.

"Um, guys. Can I uh… Can I tell you guys something? Something I've only ever told two other people." Mumbled Tony as he refused to look at any one of his teammates. Logically he knew he'd never be beaten like that again, but the scared 15 year old on the inside was absolutely terrified.

"Sure thing Tony. What's on your mind?" spoke Steve ever the leader of the group.

"Well uh... the truth is… I'm not 100% straight. I'm actually bi. I've kept it a secret for so long because the last time I told someone I got beat up so bad I almost ended up in the hospital." Whispered Tony. He tensed up a little, waiting for blows he logically knew would never come. But Tony's brain wasn't the most logical when it came to emotions.

"Tony. You don't need to be scared around us. If anyone wants to hurt you for being bi then they'll have to do it over my dead body." Soothed Steve as he pulled Tony into a hug. The hug was nice. Tony hadn't had one of those in a while.

"But what of all the tales of your conquests?" asked Thor. He didn't really have any understanding of how Earth viewed sexuality and gender yet. He was working hard at it so everyone excused the bluntness of the question.

"All the playboy stuff is a lie. Most of the stuff in the media is a lie. Sure, I slept around a bit with some women when I was in my early 20's, but not so much after that. I don't even like sleeping with women that much. Not when everyone is drunk and touchy. It makes me uncomfortable. They have to be the right kind of woman, like when I was with Pepper. I prefer men but I knew I'd never been able to be with who I want.

At that point, everyone could tell that Tony was feeling antsy and uncomfortable. For a man who grew up in the spotlight, he kind of hated being the centre of attention. His media personality was just a front. The real Tony Stark liked quiet gatherings and keeping to himself. Thankfully, Steve noticed that Tony was feeling overwhelmed and slowly everyone got up to leave the room with just Tony and Steve remaining.

"Why are you still here?" grumbled Tony into Steve's chest. Not that he was really complaining about becoming well acquainted with Steve's chest. It was a very nice chest.

"Because I care. Tony, how could I not care? You're amazing Tony. What you just did took courage. You deserve to feel safe with us. You work hard every day to make us gear to keep us safe. Now we can repay the favour." Steve was smiling a bit as he looked down at Tony and Tony couldn't help but blush.

"I know that Howard can't hurt me anymore, but my irrational monkey brain is still freaking out over the whole thing." Mumbled Tony and Steve pulled back in shock.

"Wait… Howard was the one to hurt you?" asked Steve and Tony nodded.

"He wasn't the same man you once knew." Said Tony and he left it at that.

"You know what. Tonight, I'm taking you out for dinner to celebrate this moment. No arguments. Be ready by 8." Smiled Steve and Tony mirrored it with his own small smile as they slowly parted ways to get ready for the day.

Dinner that night was amazing. And, it turned out to be the first of many as Tony and Steve moved from being friends to something more. It felt organic as time passed. Tony felt more secure in himself and Steve was there to support him when the media caught wind and had a field day. Their life wasn't perfect, but it was theirs and they were happy.

When Tony looked back on that day years down the line as he lay in bed next to Steve admiring the matching wedding bands on their fingers. He couldn't help but feel grateful for how everything had happened. Sure he would forever be angry at Howard and all the injustices of the world, that was a given. No, Tony was grateful that he had finally found his people, his family. Everything had worked out in the end. If only 15-year-old Tony could see him now. He would be so happy. And that was what mattered in the end. Tony was happy.

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Happy pride everyone. I hope you liked it. Feel free to check out some of my other works. I'll see you around! -Shadows


	8. No Trust! Liar!

No Trust! Liar!

Why Steve decided to stay.

Pairings; Pepperony, and Stony. Rated T

A little Endgame Stony fix-it. No shade to Pepper, I love her to bits. But I needed drama and a reason for Steve to stay. So with that said, enjoy!

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 _No trust! Liar!_

Those words had haunted Steve the moment Tony uttered them. They followed him into his dreams and Steve found he couldn't sleep. Ever since Carol had rescued Tony from space and Thor had killed Thanos at the Garden, life just hadn't been good. Steve was the one to break it to Tony that they had failed and Thanos destroyed the stones. That was the first time Steve had ever seen Tony cry. He just clung to Pepper and cried. Steve couldn't think of any way to comfort the man.

He'd heard from Rhodey about Peter Parker. The pain in Tony's eyes that day made more sense now. Tony hadn't just lost a kid he mentored. He'd lost the boy he'd thought of as a son, and Steve had just played it off with the whole "we all lost" thing. God did Steve want to fix his mistakes. He just wanted to make it better. He knew he couldn't.

The next five years weren't much better. Sure, there were some good moments, like Tony and Pepper's wedding. Steve remembered that day vividly. It was the first good thing to happen to them since the snap. Tony was looking a bit healthier then he had been and Pepper looked radiant in her wedding dress, baby bump on display and everything. Steve stuck to the back of everything. He still felt absolutely horrible about how he'd treated Tony in the past. He didn't want to ruin Tony's special day with his stupidity.

A few months later, Steve, as well as the other remaining Avengers, received an email from Tony. Pepper had given birth to a tiny little girl they named Morgan. Of course, Rhodey, Nebula, and Natasha were there in seconds to go visit the couple and their new baby. Steve didn't go. He still felt too guilty.

Five years was a long time for Steve to dwell on his past actions. There were some nights where he just kept replaying old conversations in his head. _No trust! Liar!_ It cut Steve deep. He should have trusted Tony's judgement. He'd been right after all. He should have just told Tony the truth. He should have tried harder, and now half the universe were just ashes in the air.

Steve started a support group for others affected by the snap. They met once a week in an old church basement in Brooklyn. It helped a bit and the people who attended were happy to have others to talk to. Steve tried his best to give them all hope, even though he was running out of hope himself.

In five years, Steve had time to also look at his own feelings. He felt guilt over everything that had gone wrong between him and Tony. He felt anger over Thanos and all the good people that had been taken away because of him. And, after much soul searching, Steve realized he felt love. Somewhere along the line, Steve had fallen in love with Tony. It was probably before Ultron and he hadn't realized it. But Tony was happily married and had a kid. He wasn't going to ruin Tony's happiness.

But that ended up happening anyway.

When Scott Lang showed up at the compound almost exactly five years after the snap with time travel theories that could allow them to bring everyone back, Steve almost thought it was too good to be true. But, it almost seemed like it could work, and Steve knew exactly who could help them.

When Steve, Natasha, and Scott pulled up to Tony's cabin, Steve got his first look into the life Tony had forged for himself over the past five years. Morgan was absolutely adorable and Tony looked healthier than he ever had. Fatherhood had been kind to Tony and Steve felt horrible for pulling him into this, but they needed his help.

Tony said that time travel was impossible. That this whole thing was a pipe dream. He was scared. Steve understood why. Tony had a lot on the line. Despite all that, Tony invited them all in for some lunch. Steve declined even though he wanted to stay. The guilt he was feeling was pounding on his skull and eating away at his heart. He couldn't stay.

So, Steve and the others went to Bruce for help. In a week they had their first test runs of the time machine. It didn't work well. It was discouraging and Steve was ready to throw in the towel. He went outside to get some air when the all familiar sound of screeching wheels pulled up to the compound. Turns out that Tony was able to make time travel work. This was a good thing. Now they just had to get the team back together. Tony gave Steve back his shield, and Steve vowed to keep Tony safe during this whole endeavour. He deserved to make it back safe to his wife and daughter. It was the least Steve could do even though his heart longed to go home with him when this was all over.

A week later they had confirmation that the time machine worked. A week after that they had the location and dates to get all of the stones they needed. In that week it sort of felt like everything was back to the way it had been before life went to shit. They made jokes around the table. They shared meals together. Pepper brought Morgan down a few times to visit. Everyone loved Morgan. Even the normally stoic Nebula was fond of her. But then again, she and Tony had gotten close while dying in space so it made sense that she knew Morgan a little better than some of the others.

The day of the Time Heist started out like a normal day. They all ate breakfast together and got everything ready. But that was when the normalcy ended. They all suited up and mostly did their own thing in silence until it was time to depart. The anxiety in the room was thick. The whole time, Steve couldn't help but glance at Tony. He could tell he was about a half-second away from having a panic attack and Steve desperately wanted to help. He just didn't know how.

When it was time to depart on their quest to fix what was done, everyone walked up onto the Quantum Tunnel with hope. Hope that this would all get fixed and life would get better. No more mourning. No more sleepless nights and missing children. No more pain over Thanos. It was time, and they knew it had to be done right.

"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams; you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know, that doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we're going to win. Whatever it takes. Good luck."

The Quantum Tunnel fired up and they all began to traverse the Quantum Realm to their destinations. The whole time Steve kept his eyes on Tony. Keeping him alive was his goal other than getting the stones. When they arrived it was go time right away. Bruce headed off to the Sanctum and himself, Tony, and Scott headed off to the old tower to survey the situation at hand.

"Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot, that suit did nothing for your ass."

"Nobody asked you to look, Tony." Snarked back Steve but deep down he couldn't help but blush over the fact that Tony was ogling his ass.

The New York heist should have been easy. But, as things tended to go, it really wasn't. Steve had to utter a phrase he never ever wanted to say again to get the sceptre away from HYDRA and he had to kick his own ass when his past self decided to start a fight. That wasn't fun.

It also wasn't fun learning that Tony and Scott had lost the Tesseract because Tony had gotten hit in the head by an angry Hulk. He looked unharmed, but Steve knew Tony was good at hiding his pain. He'd have to check him over once they got back home to the compound.

It turned out that all hope wasn't lost on getting the Space Stone. Tony knew where they could get the stone and more Pym Particles. It was perfect. So, Steve gave Scott the sceptre and Tony gave him the coordinates.

"Do you trust me?"

"I do." Steve would never make the mistake of not trusting Tony ever again.

1970 was a weird year. Sure, Steve had seen it in movies and read about it, but the fashion of the time left much to be desired. Although seeing Tony in a nice SHIELD issue suit made his heart flutter. Getting into SHIELD was surprisingly easy. Tricking Hank Pym away from his office was even easier. It was actually really fun. But even so, things wanted to go wrong. Security was on to them and Steve had to duck into an office to get away and hide.

But it wasn't just any old office he'd stumbled into. It belonged to none other than he lost love, Peggy Carter. Seeing her, after all those years, it was amazing. She looked good. She looked happy. She was doing what she loved and changing the world. Steve wanted so desperately to stay with her. To get over Tony and find his own happiness. But he had work to do. The future was counting on him and he couldn't let trillions of lives down for his own gain. Maybe he could come back when this was all over.

Steve eventually made it outside to where he'd agreed to meet Tony. He hadn't expected the man to be talking to his own father. Seeing the scene made Steve's guilt resurface. He had had no right to keep the truth about his parent's death from Tony. He'd lied. And instead of trying to calm Tony down after he'd found out, he'd fought him in a blind rage. It wasn't right.

Steve was going to make it right again. Whatever it takes.

Arriving back at the compound with all the stones felt amazing. What was amazing was learning that Nat wasn't coming home. It ate at all their hearts. Natasha was their friend. She deserved a better ending. She deserved to stay with them, her family. It wasn't fair.

They didn't have too much time to grieve. They had a snap to undo. Bruce was the one to use the gauntlet and undo all the damage that was done. It didn't take them very long to see that it had worked. There were birds outside and Clint had gotten a call from his wife.

But that victory was short-lived.

Thanos had somehow gotten through the Quantum Tunnel and had blasted the compound to pieces. From there it was a fight for their lives. Steve, Tony, and Thor went up against the titan while the others grappled with the rubble. It was a tough fight and one they were rapidly losing. When Thanos knocked Tony down, Steve lost it. As Thor was grappling with Thanos, Steve used the worthiness he knew he possessed to summon Thor's hammer to save them.

The fight just escalated from there. Wong and Strange had portalled in all their returned friends as well as fighters from all over the galaxy who had a vendetta against Thanos. Now they were evenly matched. It was now or never. They had to stop Thanos from getting the gauntlet.

The fight was pure chaos. Although, there were some good bits. Steve got to fight side by side with Bucky again. That was nice. And, Steve couldn't help but smile as he saw Tony reunite with Peter in a crushing hug. He looked so tired. Steve just wanted to end the fight so they could all rest. Tony especially. He deserved to rest.

Steve was in command of the whole situation. He was shouting orders and making sure that the troops were doing alright. He fought side by side with friends and strangers alike. Although, anyone who wanted Thanos dead was a friend at this point.

They worked hard to get the gauntlet to Scott's Ant-Van, but it was difficult. Once Thanos started raining down fire it almost seemed like everything was lost. Steve just hoped that he could catch a glimpse of Tony before he inevitably died.

Thank fuck for Carol Danvers. She took out Thanos' ship, and along with all the other completely badass women they knew, started to take the gauntlet to Scott. And she almost had it too, but Thanos was faster. Himself, Carol, and Tony went up against Thanos one last time in an effort to stop him. They weren't enough.

But Pepper was.

She came out of nowhere and stole the stones from Thanos and used them herself. The look of panic on Tony's face as he saw his wife snap her fingers and erase Thanos and his army could only be described as pure terror.

"Pep. Pepper. Honey! Hey Pep, you're alight. It's alright." Panicked Tony as he raced to her side. Rhodey, Peter, and Steve were close behind. Nobody knew what to do. They knew what kind of power the stones held and they knew her prognosis was grim.

"FRIDAY?" sobbed out Tony as he held Pepper's hand in his.

"Life signs are failing boss."

"Don't worry Tony. It's gonna… be ok." Sighed out Pepper and Tony just held her close.

As the arc reactor in her suit went out, Tony let out an almost inhuman scream of anguish as his wife died in his arms. It was heartbreaking. Rhodey and Steve were the ones to gently pull Tony away while Peter crawled in for a hug. Nobody really knew how long they all sat there in the dirt, but when T'Challa and Strange showed up to check on them and move Pepper away, it was already dark out.

"It should have been me! It should have been me!" came Tony's frantic whispers as he was lead away to get checked over. Nobody had the heart to argue with him.

Strange made a portal so that Tony could return to his cabin. Happy was there waiting for new while Morgan slept upstairs in her room. The second he was Tony's face he knew that the worst had happened. Rhodey helped Tony up the stairs to tell Morgan that her mommy wasn't going to come home. Happy and Steve helped Peter to call his aunt to let her know that he was ok and safe with Tony.

The sound of Morgan screaming and Tony trying desperately not to cry broke through the silence of the room. It was heartbreaking. Steve wanted so badly to just pull Tony and Morgan into his arms and comfort him, but he knew it wasn't his place.

Three days later was Pepper's funeral. Everyone was dressed in black and holding back tears. Tony kept Morgan close to him the entire time people were speaking. Peter was right at his side as well. Tony wasn't letting his kids out of his sight anytime soon.

After the proceedings, people milled around and gave Tony and his family their condolences. Steve held himself back even though he wanted nothing more than to go and hug Tony. After a while, Steve noticed Tony sitting by himself on the dock outside the house. Nobody else was around and Steve knew he wasn't about to leave Tony on his own when he was hurting. He'd made that mistake before.

"Morgan and Peter are with Happy. He offered to get them some food so I could have a moment." Rasped out Tony as Steve walked over and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry about Pepper, Tony." Tony just nodded and lent on Steve for support. Steve ended up putting his arm around Tony in comfort.

"I don't know how I'm going to raise Morgan without her."

"I know it's tough Tony. But remember, you're not alone. You've got Rhodey and Happy and Peter to help out. Hell, I'll even be here if you want me. You don't have to go through this alone."

Tony just nodded and allowed Steve to hug him. The bridge between them may not be fully mended, but it was getting there.

A week after Pepper's funeral, Bruce and Scott had managed to make a new Quantum Tunnel so Steve could return the stones to their places in the timeline. The day before, Steve had talked to Bucky about the possibility of maybe staying in the past with Peggy. Bucky understood. He really did. But the look of pain on his face hurt Steve. Between him and Tony, Steve didn't really know what to do.

Returning the stones was mostly easy. He didn't like being chased around Asgard when returning the Reality Stone, nor did he like going to Vormir and seeing Red Skull. Although, he did get to say goodbye to Natasha. When he replaced the stone he placed a few tokens the team had given him next to Natasha. It wasn't the burial they wanted, but it was better than nothing.

When Steve went to return the Space Stone, he once again found himself in Peggy Carter's office. He could just go and talk to her. He could live the life he really wanted to with her. He could live in love and be happy and secure.

But that wasn't really the life he wanted anymore.

His thoughts wandered to life back home. Tony and his kids needed him. Bucky and Sam needed him. He was needed. It felt good to be needed and loved. Sure, he could live the life he'd always wanted with Peggy, but he'd been building a life back home. He didn't want to give all that hard work up.

So, Steve decided to stay in the future.

Bucky looked surprised when Steve returned. Steve understood. He'd been so sure he was going to stay with Peggy. But she lived her life. It was time for Steve to live his.

"I thought you were going to stay with Agent Carter?" asked Bucky.

"I thought so too. But there's still work I have to do. I have people who need me here and I don't intend to leave them to suffer alone." Bucky nodded in understanding. He knew exactly who Steve was talking about.

"So what now?" asked Sam.

"Well, I can tell you one thing. I'm going to step down as Captain America. I want to rest. Sam, the shield is yours once it's repaired." Smiled Steve and Sam looked shocked.

"Are you sure Steve?" Steve just smiled and nodded. He was sure. Sam still wanted to fight. He was the perfect man for the job.

A day later, Steve found himself back at Tony's cabin. He wanted to see if Tony needed any help. Rhodey couldn't be there because he got called in by the government to explain what had happened and Steve knew that Tony shouldn't be alone. So, Steve walked up and knocked on the door.

"Daddy! Someone's at the door!" came a shout from Morgan and Steve smiled a bit.

A moment later, Tony opened the door and looked at Steve in surprise. Steve took a second to take stock of Tony appearance. He looked tired and a bit thinner then he had been a few weeks ago. He also looked shorter. But then again, Tony wasn't currently wearing any shoes. Steve had forgotten how short Tony was when he wasn't wearing lifts.

"What can I do for you Cap?" asked Tony tiredly.

"I just wanted to check in and maybe talk for a bit. I have a couple of stories to share from when I returned the stones." Replied Steve. Tony motioned for him to come in and Steve gladly took it.

"Can I offer you a drink?" asked Tony and Steve nodded.

"What have you got?" asked Steve as Tony lead him into the kitchen.

"I've got apple juice and coffee."

"Nothing stronger?"

"I've been sober for 7 years. I'm not giving that up."

Steve just nodded. He understood and Tony should be proud of his sobriety. The two ended up talking while Morgan built with Lego at the table. It was kind of nice. They shared jokes and stories. Tony brought up how difficult it was keeping track of preschooler and a teenager at the same time. That was when Steve offered to help babysit the kids so Tony could get work done. Tony would have been a fool to decline. So, twice a week, Steve came over to watch Morgan so Tony and Peter could work in the lab on things for SI. Tony was still CTO but he'd passed the CEO position to someone he trusted on the Board of Directors.

After a few months, twice a week turned into almost every day as Morgan started school. Tony cried that day. With Steve being over everyday, Tony eventually just asked Steve to move in. He practically lived there anyway. Steve said yes and he took a day to move the few things he had into the guest room. From there, Steve became a staple in the Stark's lives. He was there when Morgan learned to ride without training wheels. He was there when Peter graduated. He was there when Tony was feeling down and just needed company.

What was nice was that the two of them had made up for their past mistakes. The bridge had been mended and life continued on. Sam lead on the New Avengers along with Bucky so neither of them had to worry about the fate of the world. Just the fate of a certain crime-fighting spider who couldn't seem to keep out of trouble.

Around when Morgan turned 7, Tony and Steve started spending a little bit more time together. They went out to get coffee after Tony got out of meetings. They'd go get lunch while Morgan was at school. They just got closer and closer. Steve could tell that Tony was a bit conflicted about that. He'd always love Pepper and he didn't want to move on and just forget her. Steve understood, so they took things slow.

It was a few months later that Steve decided to take the plunge. He loved Tony. He loved the kids. He was happy, and he could tell that Tony was happy as well. Tony smiled more. He laughed more. Everyone could tell that things were getting better. And it was time to take things on together.

"Do you trust me Tony?" whispered Steve as he placed a hand on Tony's waist as they stood together one night in front of the fireplace.

"I trust you, Steve. I trust you."

And Steve leant in and kissed him.

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Check out my other works! Comments are appreciated! See you around. -Shadows


	9. Protect Me

Prompt for Elenduen

After being kidnapped by HYDRA and forced into a drug induced heat, Tony and Steve must navigate their new relationship while the continued threat of HYDRA try to take away their hard won happiness. Rated M, Pairing- Stony, warning for non-con elements.

Hello friends! This is a fic request from Elenduen! I worked hard on it and I hope you like it!

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It was supposed to be a normal retrieval mission. Go in, get the information, and blow up the HYDRA base. It should have been easy. Nobody expected anything to go wrong. But since when does anything ever got right in the lives of the Avengers.

Just as the team was about to regroup so they could leave, Tony and Steve got jumped by some HYDRA agents they had missed. Tony wasn't in the suit and they had enough tranquillizers to take down an elephant. The team didn't even realize they were missing until it was time to get back on the jet and leave.

When Tony and Steve woke up, they knew they were screwed. Being trapped in a room with no visible door and the only things there being a small one-way microphone placed way out of reach and a slowly dying lightbulb. It was like something out of Saw. That and they were both feeling all dizzy. Steve was feeling all antsy and was inching closer and closer to Tony while Tony was feeling all hot and skittish. He didn't like it.

"Well, well, well." Came a voice they both recognized. It was Strucker. "I'm very glad that I've finally managed to capture the two of you. I'm sure by now that the two of you know you have been drugged. I'm sure you'll enjoy the effects. I'm certain a slut like you Stark will find with quite enjoyable. Now, once you give me what I want perhaps I'll let you go. Have fun."

Tony and Steve looked at each other. Tony, in fear of being kidnapped again and Steve had some sort of fire in his eyes. They had a feeling they knew exactly what was going to happen. It wasn't like they had a huge problem with having sex with each other. They'd been on a few dates and Steve had brought up his intentions to court Tony. They really liked each other and wanted to make things official. They mostly had a problem with this being a drug-induced forced mating. They didn't know what would happen. Would Steve bite him and bond with him? Would Tony drop into submission from all the hormones and new bond just like he didn't want to? It was a crapshoot.

But what they did know was that neither would intentionally hurt the other.

Tony was the first to fall under the effects of whatever they'd been drugged with. He was feeling all hot and bothered. He just wanted to curl up in his Alpha's arms and be taken care of and pleasured. For Tony, who had been on suppressants almost all of his life, it was scary. He was putting all his trust in Steve and that wasn't something he wasn't used to. Tony had grown up being abused by Howard for being an Omega and he'd worked his entire life proving everyone who thought Omegas were worthless wrong. He was trusting Steve. He hoped this went well.

Steve, on the other hand, was sent into his rut the second he got a decent whiff of Tony's scent. It was sweet like a good coffee yet held the slight tang of motor oil and the scent of something that was uniquely Tony. Steve was on him in seconds just holding him closer and scenting his neck.

"Mine! You're mine! Gonna keep you safe Tony. Keep you safe and warm and mine!" growled Steve as he curled his body around his soon to be mate.

Steve was gentle even though his body was screaming at him to hurry up. He unwrapped Tony like a present. Tony was precious to him and even though they were essentially being forced to do this Steve still wanted to do this right.

It didn't take long before Tony had dropped completely under Steve's care and Steve had lost himself in his rut. He took the time to turn Tony onto his front before he dove in face first to get a taste of Tony's enticing scent. He teased Tony with his tongue causing the Omega to whine in pleasure. Tony was already so far down that he couldn't even form words.

Steve didn't spend too long teasing Tony. His rut brain was more than ready to get to the main event. Steve took the time to strip himself before lining up and pushing into Tony in one deep smooth thrust.

"God Tony. You're so tight. So slick. Mine! Mine! Mine!" growled Steve and Tony just mewled in response. So far Steve had been putting Tony first, but he was still feeling scared.

Steve wasted no time in giving Tony as much pleasure as possible. He thrust in with deep strokes, hitting Tony's prostate with every thrust. Tony was a mewling, blubbering puddle of pleasure as Steve curled his body closer to his, continuing to scent his neck. Every instinct in him was telling him to bite down and claim Tony as his mate. So, Steve sped up his thrusts and slowly palmed at Tony's cock creating a contrasting pleasure that had Tony screaming and cumming. That was enough to send Steve over the edge as his knot locked him to Tony and he bit down on his neck. Tony went completely limp beneath him as Steve claimed him as his mate and pumped his seed so deep inside that it had no choice but to take root.

Steve growled as he gently lowered himself and Tony down so they could snuggle close. Tony was completely out of it and vulnerable so Steve made sure he was between Tony and the wall. They didn't know where the door was and Steve knew he had to protect his mate. Tony just whimpered as Steve adjusted them so that Tony was more comfortable and Steve was mostly covering him. He was going to protect his mate. He knew that Tony had had a hard life so he was going to make it easier. This wasn't exactly how he had planned to bond with Tony. He was thinking more along the lines of months of courting and treating Tony like the wonderful gift he was. Instead, they got drug-induced heat in a HYDRA facility. Steve was going to make it up to Tony the second they got out. But, there wasn't much to do so Steve curled in close to keep watch.

Down the hall, Strucker, as well as a few of the other higher-ups in HYDRA were smiling at the screen in front of them.

"This is good. Soon we'll have the perfect little soldier to shape as we see fit." Smiled Strucker maniacally. The others nodded in agreement. Everything was going according to plan.

But they sure as hell didn't count on the remaining Avengers finding the base and going crazy trying to find their friends.

Steve, due to his advanced hearing, was able to hear the gunfire from outside the room. By then the drugs had worked through their systems and Steve was up and alert. Tony was still out of it. Having a new bond and an unnatural heat had taken its toll on him. It made Steve worried but he knew their friends were on their way to rescue them. Steve bundled Tony up in his clothes before pulling him safely in his arms to wait for their opportunity to get the hell away from HYDRA.

Eventually, the wall in front of them opened up and Steve went into the defensive to protect his mate. But it wasn't HYDRA standing in the opening. No, it was their team. Thor and Nat were there with their weapons raised while Clint held Loki's sceptre in his hands.

"Hey, guys! Look what we found!" smiled Clint as he showed off the sceptre. He kept smiling until he actually got a good look at the scene in front of them.

"Um… what happened Steve? Why is Tony passed out in your arms?" asked Natasha. Steve just growled and held Tony close as they all left the facility. They met up with Bruce on the jet and set the place ablaze as they made their escape.

The whole plane ride, Steve held a now barely conscious Tony close while the others tried to figure out what happened. Steve gave them bits and pieces and by the end, everyone was more than happy they both Tony and Steve were alright and they HYDRA was going up in flames.

When they got back to the tower, Steve left with Tony to go make a nest somewhere safe so Tony could rest. Thor left as well. He needed to take the sceptre to Asgard so that no more harm would come to Earth by its usage. The others just sort of milled around and hoped that Tony and Steve would be alright. A forced matting was never good, even if both parties were in love with each other.

It took another full day for Tony to come around completely. While Tony was down and dependant on Steve, Steve made sure his mate was comfortable and taken care of. He made sure Tony ate and drank and warm. He cuddled Tony almost constantly. Steve knew how important contact was when the bond was so new. He still hated how they came to be in this situation, but he was going to do right by Tony. He'd been through enough.

When Tony was finally lucid Steve could tell that he was still scared. They'd just been through something pretty serious. It was understandable that Tony was freaked out. Steve just held him close and tried to comfort him.

"I'm not really mad that we're mated." Began Tony after a long while of not speaking. "I'm just mad that it was forced."

"I don't like that either." Sighed Steve as he pulled Tony in closer. "I wanted to court you like we did back in my time. Tony, you're so precious to me. I'm gonna make this right." Tony just nodded and curled up in the nest.

The rest of the day, Tony and Steve just ended up talking to each other. Steve told Tony stories from his childhood. He told Tony about all the trouble he'd gotten into and the many times he'd gone home to his mother yelling at him for getting beat up again. Tony mostly talked about MIT and some new stuff for SI. Steve understood long ago why Tony didn't talk about his childhood. He'd learned long ago that Howard was responsible for the scars on Tony's heart and his low self-esteem. Steve knew not to talk about that stuff.

After Tony and Steve finally left their nest, the team very quickly realized that Steve was very protective of Tony. Between the new bond and the circumstances behind it, it was easy to see why. Although, the team was quick to pick up on the subtle change in Tony's behaviour. It was evident that the whole ordeal had affected him and Steve was going crazy trying to create a safer environment. Whenever Tony was called to a board meeting, Steve was there to accompany him. Surprisingly, Tony didn't have any problem with this. If anything it made the meetings more tolerable and sort of funny every time Steve would growl at one of the board members when they started to badmouth Tony. It drove Pepper insane.

Thor came back with news on how the sceptre was being handled. They had used the tesseract to destroy the stone so nobodies minds would ever be manipulated by it again. He decided that it would probably be a good idea to stick around for a bit to help around the tower while Tony and Steve were basically out of commission.

A month after their bonding, Tony started to get sick and Steve immediately began to freak out. They didn't know what was wrong and Steve was scared that it was something serious. Steve pretty much carried Tony down to medical so Dr. Cho could take a look at him.

"Steve, I'm fine. It's probably just a bug." Argued Tony once Dr. Cho left to go run a blood test.

"I just want to be sure Tony. I just want you safe."

"I know big guy. I know."

They waited for a good half hour before Dr. Cho came out to give them the news.

"Well, I've got the results from the blood test." Smiled Dr. Cho as she looked over the paper in her hands.

"What is it? Is Tony alright?" worried Steve. Tony just rolled his eyes.

"I'll just get right to it. Mr. Stark, you're pregnant."

Steve instantly pulled Tony into a hug and began peppering his face with kisses. Tony just sat there in shock. Sure, he'd entertain the thought of maybe having kids one day once he and Steve started going out. He just never thought that it would actually happen. And what freaked Tony out the most was that he was actually happy about the news. He was happy that he was having Steve's pup. He was… happy? Tony was so very rarely happy, but maybe this was his shot to hold onto some happiness and love.

"I'm sure that you two have a lot to discuss so I'll be taking my leave. Don't hesitate to come back in and ask questions." Spoke Dr. Cho before she smiled and left the two mates alone.

"God Tony! You're pregnant! You're having my pup!" smiled Steve as he pulled Tony onto his lap.

"I'm having a pup." Whispered Tony and the tears began to fall. That would explain why he'd been timider since their capture. It was his body's way of keeping him and the pup away from danger.

The whole time Steve just held Tony and gave him little kisses. He was so happy. When he went into the ice during the war, Steve never thought he'd get to have a family of his own. Now he had an amazing mate and a pup on the way. Everything was perfect. Steve's mind got to wandering to his pregnant mate and Steve honestly started to feel turned on by the thought of Tony carrying his pup. Steve knew he had to take Tony to their nest to show his mate his appreciation. So, Steve scooped Tony and carried his mate back to their nest.

The second they were behind closed doors Steve began slowly stripping Tony from his clothes. Tony was no longer crying from joy and was fully invested in Steve's plan of celebratory sex.

"Gonna make you feel so good Doll. So good." Husked Steve as he laid Tony down on the blankets and began teasing at his hole. By that point, Tony was already falling under and at Steve's mercy.

"Please, Steve…" was the last full sentence Tony got out for the rest of the evening as his hole gushed with slick.

Steve wasted no time in getting to work. Now that Tony was out of his heat, he needed some stretching before Steve took him. He had Tony moaning and writhing beneath him as Steve worked him open and sucked deep purple marks on his neck and chest. The second Steve knew Tony was ready he gently turned Tony onto his stomach and pushed in with a growl. Tony practically screamed at the sensation. Thank fuck the walls were soundproof.

Steve wanted to start slow, but the scent of his pregnant mate mixed with all the little mewls of pleasure fogged up Steve's mind and soon enough he was pounding into Tony with force, hitting his prostate with every thrust.

"I can't wait till your all swollen with my pup. All big and round and mine." Breathed Steve as he thrust harder into his mate causing Tony to whine in pleasure.

Steve spent what felt like forever playing Tony's body like an instrument. He drew so many sweet sounds out of his mate that it was music to his ears. When Tony finally came, Steve followed swiftly after, the rhythmic clenching and soft cries coming from Tony were too much for him.

Steve spent the rest of the night caressing Tony's stomach while his mate slept. He smiled into Tony's neck as he thought about their pup growing safely with Tony. He already knew he would protect Tony and the pup with his life if he needed too. They were so precious to him he knew he had to protect them.

The next day they told the team. Tony was going to be stepping down from active duty while he was pregnant and nursing and the team needed to know so they could plan accordingly. Everyone was really happy for the pair. Pepper even promised to lessen Tony's workload a bit and Rhodey was thrilled to be an uncle. It was actually really nice that everyone cared so much.

A month later they got a call about another HYDRA cell. Now, Steve really didn't want to go. He wanted to stay behind with his pregnant mate and keep him safe. But you can't always get what you want. Tony had to stay behind. He had Happy stay with him down in the lab with all the doors and windows locked down with plenty of food and water. Tony threw a bit of a fit saying that he was pregnant not an invalid but he did what Steve wanted anyway. He understood that Steve was feeling overprotective and it gave him a good excuse to get some work done.

As Tony's pregnancy progressed and Tony started showing, Steve got even more possessive. Most of the time Steve was found with his arms around Tony protecting him and the baby. Surprisingly, Tony didn't really have a problem with that. Let it be known that Tony was a huge fan of cuddles. Tony was sick most of the time. His morning sickness wasn't going away and Steve wasn't about to leave his mate alone.

Problems started when Tony entered his fifth month of pregnancy. HYDRA was becoming sneakier and closing in on New York. Steve very rarely left Tony's side after they figured that out. It was scary. But, based on something Tony remembered from the kidnapping, Tony knew what they wanted. HYDRA wanted their pup to train into a perfect soldier. Neither wanted any hard to come to the pup so they took steps to make the tower even more protected.

But even then, HYDRA still got to them.

Tony and Steve were sleeping soundly when JARVIS sounded the alarm. There where HYDRA agents all over the building and the whole team had been woken up to defend their home. In seconds their room was swarmed with armed HYDRA guards and Strucker himself. Tony and Steve fought back. Of course, they did. This was their home and their family. They weren't going down without a fight. But, that didn't stop Strucker from trying to get the upper hand once all the other agents in the room hand been taken down.

"Stop right now or both Stark and the pup die." Snarked Strucker and Steve looked up. Strucker had Tony in a chokehold with a gun to his head.

And Steve saw red.

Despite the fact that Steve was famous for using a shield, he knew how to use a gun. He'd been in the army after all. While Strucker was monologuing about what he was going to do to the pup, Steve was sneakily reaching for one of the many hidden weapons in the room. Once he had the gun, Steve didn't even hesitate to shoot Strucker dead.

Strucker fell to the floor and Tony instantly ran for Steve. They fell into an embrace and Steve checked his mate over for injuries. Luckily, Tony was unharmed, just shaken a bit. The two fell into a heap on the floor as the just held each other close. And that was how the team found them a few minutes later once they'd taken out the other HYDRA agents.

2 years later

"Steve, have you seen Morgan's shoes?" yelled Tony from across the room. They were already running late for the gala Pepper wanted them to attend.

"Did you check behind the couch?" answered Steve as he adjusted his own tie.

"Never mind I found them." Called back Tony as he got the pink shoes onto his already squirmy toddler.

Tony picked up his precious daughter and gave her a kiss and Steve made his way over where his mate and pup were. In the two years since their kidnapping and mating, Tony and Steve had made a nice life for themselves. HYDRA was gone and the world had calmed down a bit. They still tried to keep up so in case of emergency they'd be ready, but for the most part, they got to rest with their pup.

Morgan was a sweat heart. She was smart as a whip and knew how to use her smarts to get juice pops from her parents. She was everything Tony and Steve wanted. Sure, how Morgan came about hadn't been ideal, but Tony and Steve loved each other and their pup. It was the life they never thought they'd get to have.

As the little family made their way out to the car, Steve wrapped his arm around Tony. He'd never lost his possessiveness and need to protect his family. Tony didn't care. It was nice knowing that there was someone out there making sure he was safe.

"You ready to go Darlin'?" asked Steve as they got Morgan settled in her car seat.

"Of course. I've got you."

* * *

I hope you all liked the fic. Check out my other works as well as my Tumblr lupinthealchemist.


	10. A Fathers Promise

After an incident at a New Years party, Tony ends up a single father to his daughter Darcy. Follow his journey as Tony figures out how to be a father so young as well as to never repeat his own father's mistakes. Rated G. Pepperony.

Welcome. Because Endgame had introduced time travel I've decided to take the fandom back to 2012-2014 where things were simpler and nobody was dead and we weren't crying our eyes out. So, enjoy the good old 2012 tropes and smiles. God knows we all need it.

* * *

It was New Years Eve 1989 when Tony Stark had his first and only sexual slip-up. He was 19, way too young to be drinking as much as he had, and Rhodey had ventured off to talk to some friends from ROTC. Tony was an impressionable kid. Even so, he knew he should have been more careful.

The woman's name was Kathrine Lewis. At the time, Tony didn't care about her name. He was too drunk out of his mind to think. Tony didn't remember that much about the night, but he was 100% sure that he put a condom on. For 5 months he thought nothing of it. Then, right before Tony's 20th birthday, he learned the truth.

Tony freaked out when he found out. He heard it from one of Kathrine's friends that she had used Tony's condom that night to impregnate herself to extort money out of the Stark family. Tony was furious. He couldn't believe that someone had done that! And what would happen to the baby once she got what she wanted? It wasn't fair to Tony, who had practiced safe sex, and the baby who had no say in what was happening.

So, Tony took some time to really think things through. He was just finishing up at MIT. He'd received three doctorates and was about to run into some free time. He wasn't expecting to take the reins for SI for a while yet. Sure, he would be inventing things and working in the lab and going to business events, but in Tony's mind, those were small things. This. This was a big thing. This was an adult thing. This was something that needed to be thought through.

Tony talked it over with Rhodey, with Mama Rhodes, with his parents and with Obi. Rhodey and Mama Rhodes actually gave Tony good advice. Maria Stark sat Tony down and had a good long chat with him before accepting his decision. Howard just scoffed, said some nasty things to Tony and went to go drink in his office. Those things made Tony want to cry but he couldn't really do that with Howard around. Stark men are made of iron after all.

Obi was the one who really freaked out. He was throwing things, shouting and getting so close to Tony and touching his arms in a way that made him uncomfortable. But at that point, Tony had made his decision and wasn't going to back down.

Three weeks later, Tony confronted Kathrine and made a deal. He would pay her the money she wanted and Tony would take care of the baby. It was a done and sorted deal. She didn't even want a baby anyways. Tony thought that there were much better ways of getting money than by putting a child through misery.

The next few months were filled with planning and shopping. He wanted to make sure that his baby had everything they'd need. He didn't know if it was a boy or a girl yet. Not that he really cared, but it would certainly help because Maria Stark kept wanting to go baby clothes shopping for her grandchild.

Little Darcy Margret Stark was born on August 29th, 1990. She was a small, screaming little thing and right then and there Tony knew he could never let her go. She was absolutely perfect. Kathrine didn't even want to see her and quickly signed away her rights. Tony had more complaints about that. He didn't think he could hand Darcy over so someone else if he was forced to.

Darcy was a healthy baby and passed all of her tests with flying colours. Tony was so proud of her. The car ride back home was the most stressful moment of Tony's life and he had three doctorates. He was terrified that something would happen to his precious little baby. Luckily, nothing happened and both arrived back home in one piece.

To say that Maria Stark loved the baby was an understatement. She was cooing over Darcy the second Tony walked through the doors to the mansion. Tony indulged her. Darcy was just too cute. He was doing the exact same thing. Obi was absent. Tony didn't care. Howard had wandered out of his office to see what all the commotion was about. He took one look at Darcy before telling Tony that the baby had better not interfere with his work. Just hearing Howard talk made Tony make a promise to his baby. He vowed to never be manipulative and emotionally abusive like Howard. He wanted Darcy to have a good life and a good relationship with him. He vowed to be a good father.

He took Darcy up to her room which was right next to his. He had decorated it was mini planets, robots, and math equations. He wanted his daughter to grow up learning anything and everything. She could do whatever she wanted with her life, but Tony wanted to make sure she had a healthy respect for science.

On all accounts, Darcy was a pretty peaceful baby. Sure, she cried when she needed something like all babies, but other than that she was pretty quiet. She would snooze in her little bassinet next to Tony while he did work in the lab. DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers absolutely adored her and would shake things over her head to make her grab at them and laugh. Tony kept himself busy while she slept. He was coding an AI that he was going to call JARVIS to help him take care of Darcy as well as help in everyday life.

As Darcy continued to grow over the next few months Tony couldn't help but feel proud. His little girl was just so perfect. She learned to smile. She would play with her feet and would coo whenever Tony held her. Tony had stopped freaking out so much about being a young parent. All Tony had to think was "what would Howard do?" then do the opposite. He would read to Darcy every day. He would sing to her, play with her, and feed her. She was precious and Tony wanted to see her thrive.

When Darcy figured out how to crawl Tony was over the moon. He told everybody. He told his parents, he told Rhodey and Mama Rhodes. Well… that was everyone in Tony's life that mattered. He was still mad at Obi.

When Darcy took her first steps Tony had JARVIS catch the whole thing on camera. Tony wanted to make sure that he had the memories forever. At that point, the media was questioning why Tony wasn't out and about much. Tony responded by going to one of his mother's charity galas. Because he didn't have a babysitter, Tony had to bring Darcy along. Tony didn't exactly want to bring Darcy into the spotlight, but luckily there was no negative attention on his daughter. Everybody thought she was just the most precious thing in her fluffy red dress and matching headband. Tony could deal with the negative attention on him. He'd grown up with Howard as a father. Tony was just glad that nobody was saying bad things about Darcy.

Not too long after the gala, Darcy said her first word. Tony cried. He was unashamed to say he cried. Darcy's first word was Dada. That just reaffirmed in Tony's mind that he was Darcy's father and he was going to do everything in his power to protect her.

It seemed like things were finally going good in Tony's life. He'd cleaned up his act since Darcy was born. No more drugs, no more alcohol, no more one night stands. He wanted to be a good father for Darcy. He wanted to be the father he'd needed growing up. He was going to be ok, and so was Darcy.

But the peace didn't last forever. On December 16, 1991, Tony had another huge argument with Howard. He couldn't really remember what it was about. He remembered Howard being drunk and slapping Tony across the face and then going off with Maria to their vacation while Tony went to go hide in his room with Darcy.

Howard and Maria never made it to the airport.

Tony found out the next morning as he was feeding Darcy her oatmeal. Obi had come in and told him the news. He sat Tony down while Darcy played with blocks on her little mat and told him that his parents had died in a car crash on their way to the airport. Tony was devastated. He was so devastated that he let Obi hug him while he cried. Tony normally didn't like being around others when he was upset and he hated being touched.

Tony only tolerated that for so long and he soon took off to his room to go and play with Darcy until he calmed down. He could talk to Obi later. Explaining to Darcy why Gammy wasn't coming home was more important.

The funeral for Howard and Maria Stark was held just a few days later on the 20th. Tony dressed Darcy in a black fluffy dress with matching shoes and himself in a plain black suit. The ride to the church was sombre. Tony didn't know how he should feel. He was heartbroken that his mother was dead. He was relieved that Howard couldn't hurt him anymore. And he was angry that Howard's drunk driving had taken his mother from him.

Tony ended up sitting at the front of the church with Obi and his aunt Peggy with Darcy on his lap. The speakers mostly talked about Howard and how amazing his mind was and how the world would miss him. Tony decided to focus on his mother when he went up to speak. He talked about how she taught him to bake and play the piano. About how she would tell him silly jokes in Italian. And most of all, how he would miss her. Obi got mad at him after for not talking as much about Howard. Tony didn't care.

The rest of the funeral went smoothly. Tony held little Darcy close as he cried. His Aunt Peggy helped a lot and offered to hold her so that Tony could say goodbye to his mom. The drive back to the house was silent. Darcy had fallen asleep, Tony and Obi weren't talking, and Peggy was keeping an eye on things. Obi left just as soon as they arrived. Peggy went to go put Darcy in her crib while Tony took a little walk around the house.

Every room he went into held memories. Both good and bad. He passed the piano that his mother used to play. He passed the workshop still filled with Howard's blueprints. Then, just as Tony was about to return to Darcy and Peggy, he saw it. Howards special cabinet. The one filled with booze.

Tony took one look at Howards liquor cabinet… and smashed the whole thing. He used it to get out all his anger and frustration. He hated Howard, he hated the alcohol, he hated what could have been. But, Tony also knew better because of Howard. He wasn't going down that road. He wasn't going to throw his life away and become an asshole. He wasn't going to do that to Darcy. Not ever.

XXXXXX

When Darcy was 4, Tony moved the main areas of the company to Malibu. It was warmer and sunnier there than in New York. Plus, there was more space for Darcy and some really good schools. It was a no brainer. Plus, there were no more memories of Howard haunting the house.

The house itself was secluded. It was on a cliff facing the ocean. Tony had always loved the water. The new house had a pool, a bigger lab for Tony and the bots, as well as more open space for Darcy to run around. It was so much better then the stuffy mansion Tony had grown up in. Plus Darcy got to decorate her own room.

SI was flourishing under Tony. Obi was there to help. Sometimes it felt like he was helping too much, but Tony just brushed it off. Obi was just worried that Tony was getting overworked. That had to be it. But, Tony did find himself feeling overworked. That was when he hired on one Virginia Potts.

Potts was a lifesaver. She reminded Tony of when he had appointments and made sure that his paperwork was in order. She also took no shit from anyone and had very quickly earned the nickname of Pepper. Nobody messed with Pepper Potts.

Not long after hiring Pepper, Darcy started school. Darcy had placed high on her entrance tests and the school wanted to start her in the third grade like when Tony started school. Tony refused. He wanted Darcy to actually learn how to communicate and make friends, not spend her whole life being bullied for being younger and smarter. Tony and the school reached an agreement. Darcy would start kindergarten with all the other five-year-old's but would be getting more advanced work to do.

So, on September 1st, 1995, Darcy started school and Tony had a breakdown. Darcy was excited to start school. She had her brand-new Bill Nye backpack that was filled with new books and crayons. She was wearing a brand new dress that Tony had gotten her. It was red and covered in little ladybugs. Her hair was done up in braids and she was ready to go.

It was Tony who wasn't ready. He couldn't quite believe that his little baby was about to start school. Pepper and Rhodey had to hold him back from running to her once Darcy was lining up with her class on her first day. Tony spent the whole day worrying about his daughter. Pepper and Rhodey did their best to keep Tony distracted. But he wasn't truly ok until Darcy was back in his arms and telling him about all the stuff she'd done that day.

From there, school got easier. Tony would work his butt off during the day so that his evenings could be spent with Darcy. He made sure to attend as many school functions as he could. He clapped the loudest at Darcy's 1st-grade school play, he attended her 4th-grade art show. Tony was there for it all. And being there for Darcy got him thinking. What kind of legacy was he going to leave behind for his daughter?

Truth be told, Tony had never really liked building weapons. He mostly did it to carry on Howard's legacy and to make things to protect Rhodey while he was at war. But that didn't mean that Tony had liked it. He wanted to do more. He wanted to change the world with his tech, not destroy it. What kind of example would he be if he let the world burn? So, Tony brought it up with Obadiah.

"Don't you think that there are different areas of technology that we could be focusing on within the company?" asked Tony and Obadiah gave him a strange look.

"What's brought this on my boy?"

"I just don't want weapons manufacturing to be the only legacy I leave for Darcy."

"Then why not built one of those arc reactor things? Keep the hippies off your back." Brushed off, Obadiah.

Tony had felt like he was being treated like a child. He didn't like it but he honestly wasn't in the mood to get into a huge argument. He had to get Darcy from school. But, thinking back on this moment years later, Tony realized he should have pushed more.

XXXXXX

Darcy was 9 years old when Tony took her with him to Cern to give a talk about integrated circuits to ring in the new year. Darcy remembered meeting so many different scientists and being entranced with a young scientist named Mya Hanson who was chatting with her dad about plants. She also met a doctor named Ho Yinson. He gave her some cake. Darcy liked him.

Later, after the clock had struck midnight and Tony was taking her up to bed they ran into someone named Aldrich Killian. He instantly rubbed Darcy the wrong way so she acted really tired and winey to get her and her Daddy away from him.

Tony's new driver/bodyguard, Harold, was waiting for them outside their room. Darcy liked to call him Happy in an attempt to get him to smile. He never smiled. That night, despite the fact that it was a party, really was about family for them. Tony loved how curious Darcy was. He loved how she was growing into a lovely young woman. Tony was so incredibly proud of his daughter and nobody could change his mind.

Four years later, Darcy started high school. If Tony was a mess on Darcy's first day of kindergarten, then he was an absolute train wreck the day Darcy went off to high school. Darcy had more than proved that she had inherited her dad's intellect. Though she may come off as ditsy and quirky, Darcy was just as smart as Tony. Darcy was good at science but what she really excelled at was politics and writing. Where Tony was good with numbers, Darcy was good at tearing people a new one with just her words. Tony was sure she was going to change the world someday. He just knew it.

But, with Darcy being so smart, she was also extremely observant of other peoples behaviours. She liked to watch people and study how they acted so she knew best how to handle a situation. It had gotten her into trouble more than once. But, Darcy had a good head on her shoulder. She knew when people were being manipulative and seedy. Case in point, the current argument she'd had with Tony.

"Dad I'm serious. Stane's totally creepy. He keeps touching you all the time and using this voice with you. It's a little bit rapey."

"He's just being friendly Darcy. I'm fine. But if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable you tell them to fuck off and get an adult, alright little miss." Cautioned Tony, even though he couldn't help but agree with what Darcy was saying. Obadiah was getting more touchy with Tony then he had been before. Tony didn't like it, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Tony could also tell that there was something up with Obadiah, he just didn't know what.

XXXXXX

When Darcy was in her senior year of high school, life at the Stark house got turned upside down. The day started off normal. Tony and Darcy were down in Tony's lab working on fixing up an old car together when Pepper came in and interrupted the two. Apparently Tony was late for a flight out to Afghanistan to give a weapons demonstration. Darcy gave her dad a hug, wished him luck, and Tony was soon on his way to the airport.

He didn't know that that was the last time he'd see his daughter for three months.

It should have been simple. Show off the Jericho missile, hang out with Rhodey for a bit, and make it home with plenty of time to make Darcy's graduation in two weeks. But, one joke about a funvee and a literal bomb with his name on it later and Tony had found himself having open-heart surgery in a cave.

When Tony came too, all he could feel was pain and panic. His first thoughts went to Darcy. He needed to know if she was ok but he couldn't know how she was when he was stuck in a stupid cave in the desert. Luckily, he wasn't alone. He was also trapped with a wonderful man named Ho Yinson. The same man from the New Years conference in Cern years ago. He'd put an electromagnet attached to a car battery in Tony's chest to keep the bomb shrapnel out. Well, that would explain the pain.

It turned out that his captors, the Ten Rings, wanted Tony to make them a Jericho missile. Tony refused, and in between rounds of waterboarding, Tony thought of Darcy and Pepper. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to make it to Darcy graduation and cheer for his little girl. Although it was very likely that he'd missed it. Tony really had no clue how long he'd been there. The days just seemed to bleed together.

Tony, despite all the pain he was in, kept pushing forward. He designed a way to get him and Yinson out of that fucking cave so they could go home. It was gruelling work, but it was their only shot. It ended up working, but the outcome wasn't what Tony had wanted. Yinson died to save Tony's life so he could return to his daughter. Seeing his friend die before his eyes made Tony even more determined to get out of there and take down his captors and find who was selling his weapons under the table.

The trek through the desert was intense. Tony was covered in burns and his right arm felt slightly numb as he tried to get as far away from the Ten Rings' camp as possible. And when Tony saw the military helicopter, he knew he was saved. Rhodey came running towards him and the two shared a hug. It felt like coming home.

On the plane ride back to the US, Rhodey made Tony get checked over by a doctor. Everyone was a little concerned when Tony wouldn't let the doctor anywhere near his chest but they chalked it up to something that must have happened in the cave. All the other injuries were superficial and would heal with time. Tony Stark wasn't dying. Not today.

The second Tony stepped off of that military plane with Rhodey and saw his daughter after three months in captivity, they ran towards each other. Tony pulled his little girl into a tight hug using his good arm and they just stood there together and cried. Tony had never thought he'd ever see his daughter again and he was so damn happy to be with her.

"I'm so so so sorry I missed your graduation sweetheart. I should have been there." Whispered Tony into Darcy's shoulder.

"Dad, you were being kidnapped and tortured. I'm just glad you're alive!"

The two just stood there and cried for a while before Pepper and Rhodey escorted the pair over to where Happy was waiting with the car.

The press conference that followed was one for the history books. Tony had done the one thing he'd wanted to do for years. He finally shut down weapons manufacturing at SI. He told the world that he wanted to leave a better legacy for his daughter. He didn't want the world to burn. He had always wanted to build it up and now was his chance. Darcy was proud of his decision. Stane and Rhodey were decidedly not. There were fights but Tony wasn't backing out of his decision.

The next day found Tony going into the main SI plant to go check things out. Darcy was out getting them lunch when Tony was accosted by Stane. He started off just talking business, but they both knew he wanted something else. He wanted to see Tony's reactor. Tony said no. Nobody was touching that thing unless he wanted them too.

Obadiah just kept on pushing despite Tony's protests. He eventually showed him the reactor just to keep Obadiah's hands off of him. Not that that really stopped the man. That was when Tony really understood why Darcy said that Stane's actions came off as rapey. Tony wasn't comfortable at all and he needed to put some distance between him and Stane.

Something was really off with Stane and Tony knew he had to do whatever he could to keep the people he cared about safe.

A couple of days later found Tony in his lab drawing up specs for a better version of the suit he used to escape from the cave. Darcy was out with some friends doing a little shopping for college while Tony worked tirelessly. He needed this suit do he could go out and destroy all of his weapons. He was also having JARVIS scan around to see of he could find out who was selling them in the first place.

He'd also made a better version of the arc reactor in his chest. Darcy had been a huge help in replacing it. She was a little grossed out by all the goo, but she took it like a champ and the two made jokes about it for years.

Making and testing out the different components for the suit was a totally different challenge. Not only did Tony manage to fling himself into the ceiling, get doused by a fire extinguisher because of one of his trigger happy bots, and break a window in the lab, but now Darcy was on to him. She had come down to give him a little gift when she caught him breaking some glass with his new flight stabilizer.

What Darcy had given him was something he would always hold dear to his heart. Darcy had framed and mounted the old arc reactor and had added some words around it. "Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart". Because despite what the media said, Darcy knew different. She knew that her dad was one of the most caring and selfless individuals she'd ever met. Tony smiled and gave Darcy a huge hug when he opened the gift. It took up a special place on his main work desk so he could see it.

A few days later Stane came to visit. He told Tony that the board of directors was trying to push him out and claim Tony decision on PTSD. Needless to say, Tony was pissed. He hadn't gotten the chance to see a therapist since coming back because he'd been so busy so having other people, mainly old men, trying to make claims against him while he was vulnerable was just pushing it. Tony ended up kicking Stane out and going to take his suit for its first flight.

Flying was exhilarating. Tony couldn't stop laughing as he took to the skies for the first time. Even with the suit icing over, Tony thought everything was a major success. He just had to work on the landing a bit. Falling through the ceiling of his lab and crushing one of his cars was not the way he planned on landing. It also made a whole lot of noise. Enough noise to draw Darcy out of her room and down to the lab.

"Dad! What the hell are you doing?" asked Darcy as she walked into the lab and was met with the sight of Tony laying on top of a now smashed car.

"Um… nothing…"

"Dad, you're wearing a suit of metal and you crashed through the ceiling!"

"It's not what it looks like!"

"So you didn't create a suit of armour and then crash it through the ceiling? You know Pepper is going to kill you when she finds out."

From there, Tony didn't really have a choice but to tell Darcy when was going on. He explained how he escaped from the cave he was being held in and how he thought that he could use the suit to actually do some good in the world. He wasn't going to listen to Stane anymore. He was going to fight the good fight like he'd wanted to do since the beginning. And he was going to start by destroying all his weapons.

Now, Tony thought that Darcy would be mad at him about all of this. Like, she just got her dad back after he was missing for three months and now he was flying around in a metal suit. She had every reason to be mad. But that wasn't what happened. Darcy started screaming that Tony was the coolest dad in the entire world. She was hugging him and shouting and honestly, Tony was just surprised. Well, if he had Darcy's approval, he may as well go through with all of this and do the good he'd always wanted to do but was too scared and confused to do before. It was time to make up for his mistake.

Unfortunately, life was never that clean-cut. Tony found out that more of his weapons had been used illegally and that Stane had filed an injunction against him all in the same night. When Tony returned from destroying them and leaving the people using them to hurt innocent people to receive justice, he didn't expect Pepper to catch him trying to get out of his battered up suit.

They had a fight. Pepper tried to argue that Tony was killing himself and that she wanted none of it. She also tried to bring up how Darcy might feel about all of this but Tony stopped her. He knew how Darcy felt and he wasn't going to stop when he could finally do something good. Pepper begrudgingly agreed to keep things a secret and help out.

Things sort of escalated after that. Stane broke in while Darcy was out with some friends. He paralyzed Tony and stole the reactor right from his chest. Tony felt incredibly vulnerable as Stane cradled his head and spoke in soft tones. It made his skin crawl. He'd never really liked Stane that much, but this was the final nail in the coffin. This behaviour was too much, even for Tony. He was touching him and manhandling him and taking what was never his to take. Tony just knew that this would feature heavily in his nightmares from now on.

But, Tony was lucky. After Stane left with his prize, Tony was able to crawl down to the lab and with a little help from Rhodey and DUM-E he was able to put in a new reactor and get into one of his suits to go save Pepper and stop Stane.

Tony almost died that night stopping Stane. Tony came out lucky. Stane did not. Darcy was furious with him but she was more relieved to have her dad alive and with her. A day later, Tony was whisked away to a press conference and told by Agent Coulson to lie to the press about what had happened. So, Tony went out there with some cue cards to tell the lie.

That wasn't what happened.

Darcy though his whole "I Am Iron Man" speech was amazing. She loved it. Pepper, Coulson, and this man Tony recognized as Nick Fury from SHIELD did not. But their opinion didn't really matter to Tony. Darcy thought he was cool so that was that.

About a month after that whole fiasco Darcy was ready to head off to college. The media went wild when they heard that the Stark heiress wasn't going to MIT nor was she studying science. Darcy didn't want to go into engineering like her dad. She wanted to go into politics and change the world with her words. Darcy could have gone into science if she wanted too. She was certainly smart enough. But Darcy wanted to forge her own path and Tony was going to support her however he could.

Darcy was happy at school. She phoned Tony once a week to tell him about everything she'd been doing. Tony was so proud of her when he saw her grades for her first semester. Straight A's! Tony actually stuck her grade report to the fridge. Pepper and Darcy thought it was funny.

Everything seemed to be going well. Darcy was doing well in school, SI's stocks had actually increased, and Tony was planning to hold the Stark Expo soon. That was something that hadn't been done since Tony took over. He was looking for new scientist to help him revolutionize green energy and tech. He'd also succeeded in destroying ALL of his weapons that were out there in the world. So yes, life was going swimmingly.

Until the palladium poisoning settled in.

To say Tony was scared was an understatement. He didn't want to die and leave Darcy without him. Sure, Darcy was an adult now, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving her. She was his baby girl. So, with everything in front of him, Tony got to work on finding a cure.

It wasn't the easiest thing. Not only did he have to find a cure for the palladium poisoning, but he also had his regular work and all the work for the Stark Expo that was being held soon. On top of that, he also tried to call Darcy at least once a week. She took an internship with Dr. Jane Foster in New Mexico and she was really excited about it. Tony was happy she was learning new things and finding her way in life.

Unfortunately, Tony ran into a dead-end in finding a cure for his poisoning. He'd tried everything that existed. There was nothing. All he could do was manage the symptoms and get his affairs in order. He made sure that Happy got the cars and enough money to keep him comfortable for a long time. He built Rhodey a suit that he planned to give to him once the expo started. He made sure that Darcy would have everything she would ever need. And once the expo started, Tony named Pepper Potts the new CEO of Stark Industries so his legacy would continue.

That was when things began to change up really quickly.

Tony was introduced to Natalie Rushman when she came to get the transfer paperwork from Tony signed. He knew something was off with her instantly. She was hiding something and Tony really wanted to know. But he had bigger fish to fry. He wanted to make the transition of power at SI as smooth as possible for Pepper and getting the scoop on Rushman wasn't very high on his priority list.

They went off to Monaco for a business trip/mini vacation. It was supposed to be fun. They were going to work on introducing Pepper as the new CEO and Tony was going to compete in a car race because what's the point of having a race car if you don't drive it. Tony wanted to have some fun before the palladium poisoning really kicked in and killed him.

He wasn't counting on the trip being interrupted by a maniac with a proto-arc reactor wielding electric whips. There was yelling, Tony was covered in cuts, the suit short-circuited, and Pepper and Happy had to come to the rescue. Nobody was really happy that day. Darcy called later that night. She'd seen what had happened on the news and got worried.

"Dad! I saw on the news what happened in Monaco. Are you alright?" asked a worried Darcy.

"I'm fine Darcy. Just a few cuts and bruises. Everything is under control."

"See when you say it like that it makes me not want to believe you."

"So… how's New Mexico?" asked Tony to steer the conversation away from himself.

After Tony got off the phone with Darcy he went to go interrogate the man with the arc reactor. He learned that his name was Ivan Vanko and that he had a grudge against Tony because of the actions of their fathers. It was stupid and infuriating and Tony was glad he was locked up and he didn't have to deal with him.

The flight back to the states was a bit rough. Tony tried to make Pepper an omelet as an "I'm sorry" for what happened in Monaco. It didn't really work out. He was starting to feel weaker and he was so lost in thought about how the fuck he would tell his friends and family that he was dying that he ended up burning it.

When he got back home, Rhodey was there waiting. That was when he learned the truth about the arc reactor in Tony's chest. About how it made him sick and tired all the time and how the palladium kept eroding. But, even with all of that, Tony was still too scared to tell the man he considered a brother that he was dying.

A week later, Tony had to start thinking about his upcoming birthday. He had no idea what he should be doing so when Natalie came to help him with something he asked her, "If you only had one birthday left, what would you do."

And she replied, "Whatever I wanted."

So Tony spent the night video calling Darcy and watching movies with Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper. The public had been trying to get Tony to have a big party. 40 was a big deal. But Tony hated parties. He hadn't been to a big party since the night Darcy was conceived. He had more important things to do and spending time with friends and family was one of them.

That night, Tony gave Rhodey a suit. He needed someone to keep being Iron Man and watching out for Darcy once he was gone. He didn't tell Rhodey this of course. He was just happy Rhodey took the suit with minimal protest. Tony was known for giving extravagant gifts so this wasn't really that farfetched.

The next day, after all of his friends had left, Tony was surprised to find Nick Fury and Natalie Rushman at his door.

"Well, you're fired." Deadpanned Tony as the two just invited themselves into his house.

"That's not your decision to make Stark." Snarked Fury.

"Well seeing as how you set a spy to infiltrate my company and my life I think it is my decision."

"It was the only decision to make. Now, Stark meet Natasha Romanov. As for why we're here, we think we've found the cure to your little problem."

"Is that what all these boxes are? Look I've tried everything that exists so excuse me for getting ready to throw in the towel." Sassed Tony, but what Fury asked next through his through a loop.

"Stark, what do you remember about your father?"

"He was cold. He was calculating. He never told me he loved me, he never even told me he liked me. So it's a little hard for me to understand that he told you that the whole future was riding on me and he's passing it down. I don't get that. We're talking about a guy who let his fists and alcohol do the talking while I hid Darcy away in her room. This is the guy who paid off doctors to keep all my injuries out of the medical records. Injuries he inflicted. So yeah, none of this is making any sense." Tony was getting agitated and Fury could tell so he got to the point.

"Somewhere in these boxes, we think there's the cure to your problem. Now I'll just leave you here with Agent Coulson so you can get to work. Good luck Stark."

"Wait! You're just locking me in my own house and pissing off to somewhere! That's not fair!" shouted Tony but it fell on deaf ears.

So for the next hour, Tony went through boxes while Coulson sat nearby and read a book. Tony honestly paid him no mind as he fiddled with on old expo model while old videos played. Although, when Coulson's phone rang and the agent looked worried, that was when Tony got worried as well.

"Stark, I've been called away to New Mexico. I trust you'll behave and get the work you need done."

"Wait, you're going to New Mexico? Darcy's there! Is everything alright?" worried Tony as Agent Agent began to leave.

"As far as I know she's fine. But as a courtesy, I'll keep you updated."

And before Tony could even thank the man, he was gone. Always the enigma. Tony turned his attention back to the video playing. It was an old reel of Howard trying to introduce the expo. Tony frowned as he saw Howard yelling at his younger self to go away. That was the way it always was. The only reason Tony had been born was to be an heir. So, when film Howard told Tony that he was the future it was really hard for Tony to believe.

"If he really thought that then maybe he wouldn't have hit me so hard."

Tony ended up turning off the videos and focusing on the old model again. There had to be something there. And that was when Tony got lucky. That day Tony rediscovered an element and synthesized it in his own lab. He made sure to have JARVIS take a video of everything so he could show it to Darcy. Tony just knew that his daughter would freak out watching it and then proceed to try and do it herself. She was a Stark after all.

Although the new element saved his life, Tony's problems were far from over. Not long after Tony got a very peculiar call that had him calling Rhodey, pepper, and Natasha. Vanko was planning something bad at the expo and Hammer was involved.

When Tony arrived Hammer was already giving his demonstration. It took only seconds after he interrupted it for the drones to go haywire. Tony took over trying to get the drones away and under control while Rhodey got the civilians to safety. Tony helped with that when he could. He stopped a drone form harming a small boy wearing an Iron Man mask. But with a "Good job kid!" Tony had to get back to work and trust that the kid would keep himself out of trouble and back to his parents.

It was a hard battle but getting to fight alongside Rhodey in the armour was actually fun. Plus actually getting to takedown Vanko and hearing that Hammer was arrested was a huge bonus. But it was short-lived. Tony had to make a mad dash to where Pepper was in order to save her because Vanko decided that a self destruct feature in his drones was a good idea. Luckily he made it in time. There was some shouting. Lots of shouting.

And then there was kissing. Now that was something Tony hadn't done in around 20 odd years. But with Pepper, it just felt right. Darcy was going to have a fit when she found out about that. She'd been not so subtly trying to get Tony and Pepper together since she was a teenager.

The next day, after a much-needed sleep, Tony was called away by Natasha to meet with Fury for something. She wouldn't tell him what it was but she had a smile on her face. When Tony arrived there was a desk and a few screens set up. On the desk were a few folders, the one on top reading "Avengers Initiative" in bold red letters. Just as Tony mad to reach for it he was interrupted by Fury.

"I think you should hold off on looking at that folder Stark. There's a few things we need to talk about."

"Like what?"

"Let me start by explaining all of this. The Avengers Initiative was created so that in the event of a global disaster. You've been on our radar for years as an engineer and now as Iron Man. We wanted to make sure you were a good fit for the team so I have Romanov to see if you're the right kind of person. I think you should read her assessment of you." Stated Fury as he passed Tony a thin folder. Tony opened it up both curious and afraid of what it might say. There was only one piece of paper inside with one short sentence written on it.

"Iron Man: Yes. Tony Stark: recommended!"

"Yes, despite what the public thinks you've actually shown a great deal of maturity. I'm not taking you almost dying into account. That was an extenuating circumstance."

"What do you mean by all of that?" asked Tony as he tried to get more information out of Fury.

"Well, the media has been saying the same few things about you since you were a teenager. Said you were a playboy and a narcissist. That you had no soul. That's not what I've seen. I know you have a heart that you use to care for the people close to you. I know you haven't been a playboy since your kid was born. And I can very clearly see you're not a narcissist. I can see your self worth problems from a mile away. You may have the public fooled Stark but not me. A man like you is exactly who we need protecting this planet. So what do you say? Are you in?"

Tony sat there thinking for a moment. This was kind of a big deal. Being on a team like this would allow him to help more people when he was needed, but it could also paint an even larger target on his daughter's back. There needed to be a way to protect Darcy and now Pepper if things got bad. They couldn't be involved if the world decided to turn to shit.

"Do you think we could maybe keep this on the down-low? I don't want the world finding out about this unless it's an emergency. You understand Fury, that I'll do anything to keep my kid safe." Fury nodded.

"Well, then count me in."

Tony obviously told Pepper what had just happened once he got back home. He couldn't not tell her. She was a little apprehensive about the whole thing but Pepper knew that Tony would be careful. Two days after that Tony got a call from Darcy. Apparently, the actual Norse Thor had shown up and disrupted their research. Not only that but SHIELD had shown up and there was a whole fight with Thor's little brother Loki and the second Darcy had finished telling Tony what happened he was running to his lab to put on his suit.

Tony was midflight when he called Pepper to tell her where he was. She understood. Darcy and her safety was Tony's number one priority. Well, it was Pepper's too. She'd know Darcy since she was just a little kid and Pepper knew that she would move heaven and Earth for that kid. So, she understood Tony's reaction when he told her that Darcy was in trouble.

When Tony landed in New Mexico Tony was quick to find Darcy. She was sitting with Jane outside their trailers while Agent Coulson talked to them. The second Darcy saw her dad she went running to him. She had so many things to say about what had happened. She thought everything was so cool. Tony was just glad she was alright. And after he'd heard about Loki, Tony hoped he'd never have to deal with the brother of Thor.

About a year after that whole debacle Tony and Pepper moved to New York. They'd been working on building a tower completely run off of arc reactor technology. The tower itself was really nice and Tony was really happy with how it was looking. The only room on Tony and Pepper's floor that wasn't completed yet was Darcy's room. Tony was waiting for her to come back from her new research trip with Jane to decorate her room. Even though Darcy was an adult and out on her own, Tony always wanted to make sure there was a special space for her to stay when she came home.

Life was good. Darcy was safe and learning new things every day, Tony and Pepper were going steady. It was great. Well, it was great until Agent Coulson broke into the tower one night. There was an emergency and the Avengers were being called in.

Shit hit the fan pretty fast.

The one thing that surprised Tony about the whole affair was that Captain America was still alive. Howard had spent years comparing Tony to Steve Rogers and seeing the man in person was setting off all of Tony's hidden insecurities beaten into him by Howard. That wasn't fun.

What was fun was getting to meet Dr. Bruce Banner. They very quickly became friends as they used their brains to search for the cube. Although, even that little bit of fun was interrupted when everyone started shouting. Tony hated all the shouting but he stood his ground when Rogers went off on him.

"You're not the one to lay down on the wire and let people walk over you." Shouted Rogers and Tony instantly got offended.

"Where the fuck did you hear that? I would gladly lay down on the wire to protect others, especially my daughter!"

"You have a daughter?"

And that was when Tony went off. He never turned down an opportunity to brag about his kid. He talked about how amazing she was and all the work she was doing. Tony even pulled a picture out of his wallet to show off because he was that kind of parent. When Thor saw the picture he smiled and joined in praising the young Stark. He hadn't realized that Darcy and Tony Stark were related until that moment. He liked the spunky young girl.

"But all the stuff the media said? About you being a drunken playboy?" asked Rogers once Tony's spiel started to die down.

"I've been a single father since I was 20. Do you really think that I'd do any of that and jeopardize Darcy? All of that is lies!"

"There was nothing in your folder about any of this."

"You mean the fake folder used to protect Darcy." Deadpanned Tony, "I was always on with the Avengers Initiative. We just made a fake folder so that if the information got compromised then Darcy wouldn't be targeted because I work with a whole bunch of superheroes. But, I guess that's moot at this point. The whole world knows now. Nothing is secret after Point Break over there crash-landed in New Mexico."

Tony didn't get much more time to talk after that. The room just happened to explode and everyone ran off to do their jobs. Moments got a little tense when Tony was fixing the rotor but he made it out. Although, when Fury told everyone that Loki had killed Agent Coulson, Tony wanted to have a breakdown. He'd grown attached to the agent. He was a kind, genuine person who deserved better. It hurt knowing he was dead.

Things only got worse after that. Loki hijacked the tower to open his portal, Tony got thrown out of a very high window, and aliens began invading Earth. It was a long hard fight. There were some moments where Tony felt like he was barely holding on. The only thing really keeping him in the game was the thought that he needed to protect Darcy and Pepper. They were Tony's number one priority and he would fight to the death to keep them safe.

When the nuke was fire at New York, Tony knew what he had to do. It broke his heart, but it was the only way to keep everyone he loved safe. JARVIS asked if Tony would like to phone Darcy as a last goodbye. But, JARVIS wasn't fast enough and the call was blocked as Tony flew that nuke into the portal.

The last thing he saw were stars that weren't from known skies.

.

.

.

Tony was a fucking lucky man. Hulk had managed to catch him and scare him back to life. Tony definitely owed him one. Despite all his problems, Tony hadn't wanted to die for a very long time. The team made their way up to the tower so they could get Loki and finish this.

They locked Loki up for the night with some special stuff from Thor and went out for Shawarma after. It was nice and everyone was more than happy to get some food. They were all starving after the fight. Tony invited everyone back to the Tower to spend the night. He had the space so why not share it with his new team.

Just as everyone was just getting back and ready to settle in for the night, the doors to the elevator opened and Darcy went running to her dad.

"What are you doing here little miss?" asked Tony as he hugged his daughter tight. He'd been so close to never seeing her again.

"SHIELD picked me up hours ago when they said you were in danger. I needed to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine Darcy. A little banged up but I'm not leaving you and Pepper any time soon."

While Tony and Darcy had their little reunion, the rest of the team were just sort of looking on. While the fact that Tony had a daughter was public knowledge it was completely different seeing Tony interact with his kid.

When Tony and Darcy finally remembered that there were other people in the room, Tony was able to introduce his daughter to the team. Darcy and Thor were already friends and she got along great with Natasha and Bruce. It was nice to see everyone begin to unwind.

That night though, Tony didn't really let Darcy out of his sight. Sure he was normally a bit of an overprotective parent but he'd almost died for fuck's sake. He deserved to be a little antsy and overprotective. As long as Darcy was safe he'd be fine.

The Avengers slowly went their separate ways after Thor took Loki back to Asgard. It had been a long few days and everyone just needed time and space to decompress. Tony and Bruce went back to the tower where Pepper was waiting while the other Avengers went back to SHIELD. Darcy had left that morning to go back to work with Jane with a promise to call often. Tony, well he was just ready to rest. This whole alien and wormhole thing was just too much for him. Hopefully, nothing like that would ever happen again.

Who was he kidding? Tony's life had never been normal. Not since he was a kid and definitely not since he'd had a kid of his own. Sure, Darcy was amazing and Tony wouldn't trade her for the world but having a small slice of normalcy would be nice. No crazy science, no alien invasions, and no more wormholes.

Well… he could dream, right?

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I hope you liked this little fic. It's nice to go back to a simpler time when Thanos was just a face during the end credits and everyone was happy and together. I think we all need more of that. Well, I'll see you soon for my next long fic, "Unmasking the Broken". -Shadows


	11. The Pressure to be Perfect

Tony's childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows and the effect followed him into adulthood. Tony thought he was getting better. He really did. But things change and the world just won't let him have a break. Pairing: Stony. TW Eating disorder, Child abuse.

For Elenduen who requested Tony fighting an eating disorder that was brought on by the pressure to be perfect. I now give you a big "FUCK YOU!" to Howard Stark, the media, and SHIELD for being dicks. Enjoy.

Disclaimer. I am not an expert on eating disorders. I'm just going off of things I've read. If you have an eating disorder or mental illness please seek help if it is safe for you to do so.

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If anyone had bothered to look into Tony Stark's past what had happened would have been obvious. If anyone had bothered to look past the masks the man hid behind then maybe things wouldn't have gotten as far as they did. If anyone had bothered to treat Tony with decency then maybe things would have been ok.

Let's start from the beginning.

To understand how this all started we need to go back to Tony's childhood. You might think that being born into riches was a sure-fire way into having an amazing childhood and becoming a spoiled brat. That wasn't the case at all for Tony. He was mostly raised by the family butler, Edwin Jarvis. Now, Jarvis loved Tony like his own, but he couldn't always be there. And when Jarvis wasn't there then Tony's care fell back into the hands of his mother and father.

Tony had always loved his mother. When she wasn't too busy doing business with other rich wives or panning parties to notice that Tony existed, she would teach him Italian and how to play the piano. Though those times were few and far between, Tony cherished them. In his mind, Maria Stark was the best.

The same could not be said about Howard Stark.

The first memory Tony had of his father was when he was two years old. Howard had been drunk, Tony had dared to exist, he got hit. And it didn't stop until the day Howard died. Howard always expected Tony to be doing the impossible from a young age. But even when Tony made and did things that no child his age should be able to do it was never enough. The burns and old scars on his hands were testament enough to this.

Tony was never good enough. He was useless, repulsive, annoying, lazy. He'd been told that enough. In Howard's home, you only got food if you were useful. Tony often went days without food until Jarvis was able to sneak him something. The situation definitely stunted his growth. When Tony was unceremoniously shipped off to boarding school at the tender age of 6 surrounded by kids years older them himself, well, that was the first time that Tony was actually eating regularly. He wasn't eating a lot but he was still eating.

And that where this whole problem started. With an abusive father and scarred hands.

MIT was better. Tony had gotten used to eating more and more at this point. He was still a scrawny little thing with big eyes and fluffy hair, but he was less pale and looked healthier. But still, Tony didn't eat great at MIT. Pizza, noodles, alcohol, and too many croissants from the local bakery don't make for a healthy diet.

Only when Howard was dead and Tony was on his own did things improve. He had appearances to keep up and he couldn't do that if he looked half dead from hunger. He sort of learned how to cook. Well, Tony could cook Italian food and some stir-fry, but he was trying ok! The trash can tasted most of Tony's early attempts that's for sure.

So, Tony got better. He was mostly healthier other than the alcohol addiction that he was trying his best to fight. (Tony blamed Howard for that one. Who in their right mind forces a small child to drink whiskey?) Things were good. Afghanistan had been a nightmare and Tony almost fell into the old habits of his childhood. There were days when Tony tried to deny himself any food until the work was done but Yinson put a stop to that pretty quick. But other then the three months of hell in that cave, Tony had been getting better when it came to food. Sometimes Howard's voice would sound in his head yelling all sorts of nasty things, but Tony had it under control. He was doing great.

Well, he was. But then the Avengers formed.

What followed were some of the worst months of Tony's life. There was a whole lot of give and take. The Avengers moved into the tower, but Pepper left him for good. Tony had people who could, in theory, watch his back, but he never got to spend time with anyone. It sucked. Tony became bogged down with work to the point that he was starting to feel sick. Tony had work for SI, new equipment to build for the Avengers, upkeep of his own armour, as well as a backlog of work that Fury wanted for SHIELD. It was taking its toll on Tony. But really the problems were just starting.

What Tony would later pinpoint as the moment that started the resurgence of his eating problems was an article that went viral. It was just a stupid article comparing the hotness of all the male Avengers. Just a stupid thing in some girly magazine that normally wouldn't hold anything. But then again, Tony wasn't normal. The biggest take away from the article was that compared to Thor and Steve, Tony just didn't measure up. The article even went as far as to say that Tony had let himself go since he became Iron Man.

And that stuck with Tony. He had to fix that. He craved some sort of positive approval. The words printed on the paper were almost a perfect mirror to the number of times that Howard had told Tony that he could never measure up to Steve Rogers. So, literally overnight Tony changed up his diet. He would have a smoothie in the morning and steamed veggies and plane chicken at night. He only ate very small portions. On the outside, it looked like heathy. A normal person wouldn't question what Tony was eating, but in truth, it just wasn't enough to keep Tony going with all the work he did.

And that was something else that added to the problem. Tony's workload was insane. The work for SI was piling up, team repairs were going up every time they had a new battle to fight, and to top it all off Fury was piling on more and more work that needed to be done for SHIELD. Fury had never changed Tony's status from Consultant to Avenger so Tony was expected to do all sorts of work to appease the beast so he could help the others on the field. Normally something like this wouldn't stop Tony from helping anyways but Fury knew how badly Tony needed some sort of positive approval and he lorded it over Tony's head to get him to do things.

But those things very quickly piled up and Tony found that he didn't really have much time for anything else. He didn't even have time to fix his own armour after fights so when the next one came around Tony ended up injured. But of course, nobody knew that he was hurt. After the fight, Tony just flew back to his lab, stitched himself up, wrapped and iced his popped knee, and got back to work. There was only time for work. Things like medical attention, eating and sleeping could wait.

By the time things were really bad Tony was only drinking a small smoothie mad by DUM-E every other day. He needed to be thinner and he needed to get work done. It was killing him and nobody noticed. Tony had become skilled with make-up over the years so when Tony did emerge from his lab to go to meetings or to deliver things to the team nobody saw the dark circles under his eyes nor the sallowness in his cheeks. Sunglasses helped to cover the emptiness and loneliness in his eyes.

The straw that broke the camels back was a gala. Pepper had forced him to go. Something about good press and all that. Tony really didn't want to go. Being in a room surrounded by people who thought they knew how Tony should behave and look just wasn't appealing in the slightest.

But, Tony went to the gala anyway. If it made Pepper happy and lessened his workload just a little bit then he was going to take it.

The gala didn't go great at all for Tony. First of all, there was a lot of finger foods out and about. Just seeing all the food made Tony's stomach ache something awful. But all the old words Howard used to say and the words from the magazine article ran through his head. Tony couldn't eat. Not until he was good enough.

To make matters worse the gala was full of old people who had worked with Howard and Stane back in the day. These people heavily criticized Tony for the direction he and Pepper took the company. They wanted their weapons back while Tony wanted to focus on green tech and better accessibility to computer technology. Well, old rich people don't like change so Tony spent eh entire night being heavily criticized, verbally backhanded, and literally starving.

It really wasn't a good night.

It didn't get much better when he got back to the Tower. Tony decided that he needed to at least get something in his system. He'd been good and hadn't eaten anything in two days. He could have a small veggie smoothie before heading back to the shop. Tony made a b-line for the kitchen and missed all the other Avengers sitting nearby. He only noticed when Clint got up and knocked him on the shoulder while he was searching for a carrot.

"What, were you starved as a child Stark? There's no need to rush to the food. I thought those fancy parties had all sorts of stuff." mocked Clint not knowing the real truth and Tony grimaced.

"As a matter of fact I was and I'd appreciate it if we didn't talk about it." Blurted out, Tony. He didn't mean for the truth to come out but he was just so exhausted and sick but he still had so much work to do.

So many of the others immediately thought that Tony was lying for attention, but Steve saw something else. That was the first time he was able to see beneath Tony's carefully cultivated masks. He saw the pain and fear in Tony's eyes. He was telling the truth and something was very, very wrong.

"Stop telling lies Stark. Nobody likes a liar." Huffed Natasha.

"Piss off Romanov. I'm not in the mood." Snarked Tony as he began to retreat leaving the very small portion of food on the counter. Steve frowned and walked over before Tony could leave.

"Stark stay here. Obviously something is wrong but you shouldn't take it out on the team." Chastised Steve as he watched for a reaction from Tony.

"I'm not sharing anything with you guys. Why the hell would you care? My past is the past and you can all piss off."

"Come on Stark, you're an Avenger! We need to work on this stuff as a team so we can work better."

"No Cap I'm not! I'm not an Avenger. I never have been!" yelled Tony as his hands started to shake.

"What are you talking about? Of course, you're an Avenger." Spoke Steve as he looked worriedly over at Tony.

"No, I'm not. I'm a consultant. That's all I ever have been. You can blame Ms. Spider over there. Who the hell decided to make a personality profile on someone while their scared and dying? Answer me that!"

Steve looked over to Natasha for confirmation.

"It's true. Stark is still only a consultant. Fury hasn't changed his status and I don't say I blame him."

Well, that was certainly news to Steve. He looked over at Tony and the man wasn't even trying to hide his emotions. He looked dejected and just plain sad. Steve didn't like that look.

"Well, I say good idea on Fury's front. The only thing Stark is good for is his tech. Other than that he's useless."

The words cut Tony deep. It was like Howard was yelling at him in a drunken rage all over again. Tony didn't even try to hide his reaction. His face paled and his hands shook. He looked like he was going to be sick. But, Tony didn't want to deal with the others so he went to go leave. But, because he was shaking and sick he wasn't fast enough and Steve caught him by the wrist to keep him there. Steve meant to just check-in and make sure that Tony was alright. He looked horrible! But when Steve could easily wrap his hand around Tony's wrist he could physically feel that something was very, very wrong.

"Stark! You're skin and bones! This isn't ok!"

"It's fine Cap. Nothing to… nothing to…"

Tony didn't get to finish his sentence. He swayed on his feet and Steve was barely able to catch him in time as Tony fell to the ground and passed out.

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Steve sat there shocked as he watched Tony resting in his bed in medical. He was worried, very worried. Tony was hooked up to all these wires and tubes and it was scary to look at. The doctor had told Steve that Tony had passed out from an almost deadly mixture of sleep deprivation and starvation. Being told that scared Steve. What had happened to drive Tony into doing this?

A lot of things began to come to mind and Steve didn't like any of them. First of all, Steve thought back to how the team barely saw Tony around the tower. When he asked JARVIS where the man was he was always told that Tony was in his lab doing work. Steve knew that Tony was working because he was always coming out with new tech for SI, SHIELD, and the team. Others had said it was just Tony avoiding them but Steve now knew different.

The second thing was the comment Clint had made earlier about Tony being starved as a child. When Tony responded Steve could see the truth in his eyes. Tony hadn't been lying. Something really bad had happened to Tony as a child and Steve had a feeling that that was contributing to the state Tony was in now.

Steve felt horrible. Tony had obviously been hurting. He was probably extremely lonely, he was working double-time to do all the work needed to get some positive attention, it was heartbreaking. Steve felt like a horrible leader. There were so many things he should have known and should have fixed. He should have noticed that Tony wasn't eating and isolating himself. He should have known that Fury was holding team membership over his head and making Tony work more than he should. He should have tried harder to make sure that everyone on the team was doing alright.

He should have helped Tony to get the help he so desperately needed.

While Tony slept Steve stayed in the room and did up some reading on various things. He did some digging to try and find anything useful about Tony's past. He couldn't find much other than some articles saying that Tony was even smarter than Howard. What struck Steve as odd were the pictures. There was one where it said that Tony was six years old, the same picture from when Tony built his first engine. If there wasn't an age attached to it Steve would have thought that Tony was 3-4 years old. He looked so small and skinny. He also looked very uncomfortable with Howard's hand on his shoulder. If what Tony had said earlier was 100% true then Tony must have been starved from a very early age, and that meant that Howard was most likely to blame. Steve's blood boiled at the thought. Steve had known Howard during the war. He was a respectable man who just wanted to help, but if he'd hurt his only child Steve wished he could make him pay.

Another thing that Steve looked up was eating disorders. Looking at things now it was glaringly obvious that Tony had one. Steve wanted information so that he could help Tony like he should have been doing from the start. All the information and pictures Steve looked at were highly upsetting and Steve felt sick as he looked over at Tony. He should have been a better leader and helped Tony before it got this bad.

That needed to change. No man left behind.

Steve lost track of how long he'd been there at Tony's side. It must have been a few hours at least. He was only pulled out of his head when Tony began to stir. Steve scooted closer to make sure that Tony woke up comfortable. It was the least he could do after all his discoveries.

"Hey there Stark. Take it easy. You're not doing so well." Soothed Steve as he went to go press the button that would fetch a doctor.

"Whah… where?" stuttered Tony as he opened his eyes and looked blearily around the room. Before Tony could say anything about Steve being there or why he was even in medical in the first place, the doctor arrived and began checking Tony over.

The check wasn't long but the doctor had many words to say about Tony's condition. Tony just nodded through the whole thing. He wasn't really absorbing any information. He just felt so removed from the whole situation. After one last check-over, the doctor left and only Steve remained by Tony's side.

The fact that Steve was there really confused Tony. He'd thought that Steve would be one of the last people who would want to be around him. After all the things said during the Battle of New York it was almost a given. And yet, Steve was there at Tony's side after yelled a bunch then collapsed. Nothing was making sense and Tony didn't like it when things didn't make sense.

"Why are you here?" rasped out Tony once he'd gotten his bearings.

"I'm here because I care. Stark, Tony, you're really sick and you need help. I'm going to make sure you get it." Stated Steve as he scooted onto the bed and sat down.

"So you're here out of pity. You can leave now. I'll make sure that the work is done as soon as I can get out of here."

"No Tony!" shouted Steve and Tony hunched over a bit. Steve frowned and took a second to compose himself before he continued.

"Tony, I'm not here out of pity. I'm here because despite what Fury says you are part of the team. You are important. Tony, I'm going to make sure you get help. You've obviously been suffering alone for a very long time and that changes now. Tony, you need therapy." Urged Steve and Tony immediately panicked.

"No! No! Starks don't go to therapy! Stark men are made of iron!" shouted Tony, but the words he spoke weren't his.

"Tony, this isn't up for debate. You're killing yourself and I refuse to just sit by and watch now that I know that something's wrong."

"And why would killing myself be so bad?" whispered Tony and Steve was shocked. He didn't know what to say. He looked over Tony again and saw the brokenness behind his eyes. Those were the eyes of a man who had suffered and long, hard life. Steve didn't want to see those eyes.

"Tony, no. No. You don't get to say things like that." Argued Steve as he tried to keep his anger over the situation at bay.

"But why would it be such a bad thing? Nobody wants me here. They only want me for my tech or my body. I know that nobody wants me for me. I've know that since the day I was born." Sighed Tony, his hands shaking a bit. Tony didn't know where this was all coming from. He'd never been forthcoming with personal information and feelings in the past. Maybe it was the drugs in his system or the fact that he was just too exhausted to care. Maybe it was because even though Steve had said unkind words in the past, Tony still trusted him. Either way, the words Tony said made Steve upset.

"Tony… what happened to you?" whispered Steve not expecting an answer.

So when he got an answer both parties were surprised. But Tony was scared and stressed and when he's like that he tended to just stutter out word vomit.

"Howard happened. Howard happened and he ruined my life. Maybe I was always meant to just die. He would hit me. He wouldn't let me eat until I was useful. Jarvis, the real Jarvis, would sometimes be able to sneak me something to eat but after Howard beat me after he found out he stopped. Jarvis didn't want me to get hurt any more than I already was. Did you know that the first time I ever tried something sweet was at MIT when Rhodey brought back a bag of cookies his mom made? The boarding school I was at before didn't allow sweets on campus and the older kids who snuck them in didn't want to share with the weird little smart kid. I thought I was doing better lately. I was doing so much better before New York happened. But now… I'm just not worth it. I'm not as good looking as the other Avengers, I have too much work to do and every minute I'm sitting here means work isn't getting done. To top it all off all these people at galas keep comparing me to Howard and Stane and I just can't anymore."

By the end of his rant, Tony was crying and shaking and Steve was shocked. He couldn't believe that Howard had done that to Tony. He didn't want to believe, but the evidence was right in front of him. It was there in the way Tony was shaking. It was there with all the tubes in Tony's veins and down his nose making sure that he had enough nutrition to not die. It was there in the faded scars on Tony's arms and face that spoke of times in the past and no doubt there were more scars that Steve didn't see.

With all the emotions and tears in the room, Steve did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Tony into a hug. Tony must have been feeling touch-starved because he just melted into the touch. Steve didn't hesitate to pull him in closer.

"Shh Tony, I've got you. Things are going to be better now. I won't let you get hurt again." Whispered Steve as he rocked them back and forth on the bed.

"I don't want to hurt anymore. Please make it stop." Cried out Tony and Steve did his best to give some form of comfort.

The two stayed there for a while. Tony was exhausted and upset while Steve was just upset. The words had done Tony a great injustice and it was painful to see. All Steve wanted to do was make things better, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. Tony needed help from professionals and more so, he needed a break. He needed time to heal and not worry about getting the impossible amount of work that he was given done. Steve wanted to help Tony, so he took the first step to make sure that Tony was going to survive.

"Please Tony. Please, I'm begging you. Please let me help you. Let me help you get the help you need." Begged Steve as tears fell from his eyes. Tony just nodded and let himself be held as he continued to shed his own tears.

About half an hour later Tony had fallen back asleep. He really needed the rest. After Steve made sure that Tony was comfortable he went to go talk to a doctor. He relayed some of the information that Tony had told him because it was a matter of Tony's safety. The doctor was quick to agree with Steve's want for Tony to get therapy and started to get things going for when Tony was a bit healthier. Once that was going, Steve checked in on Tony one more time before he went back upstairs to go talk to his team about what was going on.

"Barton. Romanov. I need to talk to the two of you." Barked Steve and the two in question looked over at him from where they were sitting and finishing up breakfast.

"Wow, Stark must have really pissed you off." Muttered Clint as he and Natasha got up to talk to Steve.

Steve did not look amused at all by Clint's words. Is eyes held only anger and honestly it freaked both Clint and Natasha out. They'd never seen Steve this angry.

"Take a seat. We need to talk about your recent behaviours." Growled Steve and the two were quick to obey.

"Is this about Stark collapsing last night? He's probably just playing things up." Spoke Natasha with an air of uncaring.

"Or he could be down in medical suffering from severe malnutrition and sleep deprivation." Snarked Steve but neither Clint nor Natasha looked surprised or concerned. That just made Steve angrier.

"If he's sick it's his own damn fault. Why are you mad at us?" asked Clint as he tried to back away.

"I'm mad because we've all been neglecting our teammate. And Romanov I don't care what your stupid ass report said, Tony is one of us. He's been overworked and nobody noticed that anything was wrong. And all your comments yesterday have only brought more things to light. I refuse to break Tony's trust and go into details but I can assure you that he's been suffering in silence his whole life and your comments aren't making things any easier. I'm laying down some new rules and if you break them then you're off the team. I expect you to follow them. You are no longer going to bad mouth Tony. He does so much for this team and I've only ever heard you say bad things about him. If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all. Secondly, you're going to start listening to Tony. If he says something is wrong then you're going to believe him and go get me. Got it. I'm not going to let this team fall apart because we don't listen to each other." Ranted Steve.

The whole time Clint and Natasha were just nodding along. Neither really liked Tony but they refused to piss off Steve further. They just knew if they did Steve would go to Fury and make their lives a living hell. After Steve was done they were dismissed and Steve went to his room to put on a fresh change of clothes before he returned back to medical to check in on Tony. He was still sleeping when Steve got back so Steve took back up his chair and opened up his tablet to do some reading and some drawing.

When Tony woke up again a few hours later he was surprised to see that Steve was still there with him. Even if he found it strange it made him feel less lonely then he had in years.

Ans the thing was, Steve continued to stay. Tony ended up staying in medical for three weeks and Steve stuck by his side for the most part. Steve only left when Tony had a therapy session or of there was a call to assemble. They'd told the press that Tony had fallen ill from an infection and that's why he wasn't out fighting with the others. The public bought the lie and didn't press for more.

And, even once Tony had put on some weight and the doctors no longer thought he was a risk to himself and was able to leave medical, Steve still stayed by Tony's side. He helped make sure Tony made it to therapy when he wasn't feeling well. He helped make sure that Tony at least ate two meals a day. And, surprisingly, he helped Tony in the lab. Sometimes Steve helped by listing heavy equipment that Tony just couldn't. Other times he simply helped by letting Tony explain an idea out loud. But at the end of the day Steve made sure that Tony made it to bed to sleep.

And that was when the bed-sharing started. It wasn't anything sexual. It was just that Tony felt safer when he wasn't sleeping alone and Steve was a human space heater who was more than happy to help out.

That was also when the feeling started. Tony had always harboured a little bit of a crush for Steve thanks to Howard's obsessiveness when he was little. But now it was worse. Steve just made Tony feel so loved and happy and he just didn't know what to do with his emotions. Little did he know that Steve was having some feelings of his own. Steve had always known that Tony was an attractive man. He'd have to be stupid not to see that. But now that he'd gotten to know Tony he was completely smitten. Tony was so different than the public persona that he put forth. He was sweet and kind. He was sassy and cared deeply about everything he did. Steve just wished he could have seen all of that sooner. Then maybe Tony wouldn't have gotten as bad as he did.

Where the two differed in their feelings was the fact that Tony tired to push his down while Steve wanted to let Tony know how he felt. So, Steve went and bakes some cookies Tony mentions liking and brought them down to the lab as a surprise.

"Are those for me?" asked Tony once Steve set the plate of still warm and gooey cookies beside him.

"Of course they are." Smiled Steve but still, Tony's eyes fell a bit.

"Are you sure? I haven't done anything useful to deserve them."

"Tony, we've talked about this. You don't need to be useful to deserve food. You certainly don't need to be useful to deserve a treat every once in a while. You're my fella and you deserve nice things." Smiled Steve.

"You're fella? You… want me?" whispered Tony and Steve reached out to hold his hands.

"Of course I do Tony. You're perfect for me. I'd love it if you became my fella. My one and only."

Tony looked at Steve with wide eyes. Steve just smiled and let his own emotions show through. He needed Tony to know that he meant what he said. He wanted Tony in his life and Tony needed to know that.

"Are you sure?" asked Tony as he leaned in a little closer to Steve.

"I am. I'm in love with you Tony Stark and I want to be with you."

Neither one was sure who initiated the kiss, but neither cared. The kiss was perfect. It was sweet and slow and full of emotion. When the two finally pulled apart they didn't stray far from each other. Steve was smiling like an idiot and Tony was blushing. It was perfect.

Tony didn't get any more work done that day, but he needed the break anyway. The two just ended up cuddling and talking together on the couch in the lab while munching on the cookies. They stayed together until dinner when they went up to the kitchen hand in hand. Clint and Natasha shot them some looks that got quickly silenced by Steve, whereas Thor and Bruce just gave some knowing smiles. No words were exchanged but everyone now knew that Tony and Steve were together.

A week later, after that fateful kiss, Tony and Steve found themselves back down in Tony's lab. Steve was drawing in his sketchbook and Tony was glaring daggers at an email in front of him. Steve normally wouldn't have taken any notice to this but when Tony's hands started shaking he knew he had to see what was going on.

"What's going on sweetheart?" asked Steve as he comes up and hugged Tony from behind.

"It's Fury." Sighed Tony. He's mad because I'm behind on all the work he wants done and he's sending threats and I just don't know what to do."

Tony's hands continued to shake and Steve just hugged him close until the shaking calmed down a little bit.

"I'm going to fix this Tony. Fury is NOT allowed to treat you like this. You're one man and you shouldn't have to put your safety at risk just to please Fury. I'm not going to let him treat you like this." Growled Steve as he just held Tony closer to him.

"How are you going to get him to listen? He's Fury. He has dirt on everybody. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew exactly what Howard did to me growing up and how he's using that against me."

"Just leave everything to me alright sweet thing. I'll make it better."

And with one last little kiss and a promise to cuddle later, Steve took off on his bike to go yell at Fury. He spent the whole ride going over what he wanted to say to Fury. He needed his words to have an impact so that Fury would stop using Tony for his own gain. That needed to stop. Once Steve arrived he bypassed security and bust right into Fury's office, although he did spare a second to give Goose the cat a quick pet. It was bad luck if you didn't.

"Captain Rogers. I wasn't expecting you here today. What brings the righteous Captain America in today?" joked Fury but Steve wasn't listening. He was angry. So very angry.

"I'm here because you've contributed to almost getting one of my teammates killed and that changes now." Fury looked a bit confused so Steve continued.

"I have some demands and they are _non-negotiable._ "

"And what would these demands be?"

"First I want you to add Tony Stark on as a full member. I don't care what you're stupid personality profile says. The man you believe Tony is doesn't exist. He's a valuable member of the team and deserves the privileges that come with it. Privileges like getting to FUCKING REST!" yelled Steve and Fury looked a bit baffled.

"And that's another thing. You are going to lessen his workload now that Tony is no longer your precious little consultant. In fact, you're only going to give him new work if I sign off on it. You're killing him Fury and I won't have that." Hissed Steve yet Fury retaliated.

"Listen here, Rogers. Stark is the best out there for new tech. I've even got him making some new weapons for us even though SI doesn't make them anymore. I'm not giving that resource up."

"Tony's practically working three full-time jobs, Fury! Between all the work for SI, Avengers work, and the stuff you keep demanding for SHIELD he barely had time to sleep let alone leave the lab to eat! This stops NOW! I will no longer have you play a hand in my boyfriend's suffering!"

Well, that was some news to Fury. He'd always prided himself of always being in the know and yet he had no idea that Stark and Rogers were dating. He could see the hated in Rogers's eyes. Fury knew he was a dead man if he didn't give in to the demands. He knew when to pick his battles.

"Fine. Have it your way Captain. But when SHIELD had problems with weapons and tech in the future this is all your fault."

"Then maybe you need to find better scientists and pay them a living wage." Snarked back Steve before he left the room to return to Tony, leaving a very concerned Fury in his wake.

When Steve got back home he told Tony what he'd done. Tony was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe it. This was some of the best news he'd ever received. He was finally getting a break. He could finally rest and not have to worry about everything good being taken away. Tony shed a few tears at that and Steve kissed them away with a smile.

In the end, things had gotten better for Tony. Sure Clint and Natasha still may not like him, but Bruce and Thor became some of his best friends. Steve was there. He was always there. They did everything together and it made them stronger. Sure, Tony still had therapy, but he no longer felt any shame in going. He even started up a new branch of SI dedicated to affordable mental health services.

Tony was glad that he'd finally found something good. He'd spent his whole life searching for love and happiness and he'd finally found that with Steve. His workload was better, he was able to sleep and eat. He was happy. And again, having a super sweet, super buff boyfriend didn't hurt either. They were good for each other. And when disaster struck they faced it together. Always together.

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Well, that was a roller coaster of emotions. Don't forget to leave a kudo or a comment and check out all my other works. I've got quite a few. See you guys soon! -Shadows


	12. Happy Accidents

We all know where Tony and Rhodey met and the story of Pepperony. We know how those stories go. But what about one of the other members of the Iron Fam. This is the story of Happy and Tony and how a family came together in this crazy thing we call life.

Rated T, Ships- Pepper/Tony, Happy/May

Hey there peoples! Happy New Year! It's 2020 now and I have a feeling that there are good things to come. Welcome to my first one shot of the new year. I hope you like this one and that it makes you happy! And no, I'm not sorry for all the happy puns you'll have to endure. See you at the end.

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Harold Hogan met Tony Stark on one dreary day in January 1992. Harold had been coming back from a boxing match and decided to treat himself for winning by grabbing a single beer at the bar. He didn't indulge in alcohol often, but he deserved this one treat. He'd been a good boy lately so nobody could fault him.

But, just as Harold was about to go into the bar he heard a commotion in the nearby alley. Harold turned the corner and was surprised by what he saw. There where three larger men accosting another man who was definitely smaller than them. One had a gun pulled and they were shouting slurs and throwing punches. What drove Harold mad was that the smaller man wasn't even trying to fight back. He just looked sad.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" shouted Harold. He knew he had to put a stop to this.

Apparently, the other men were complete cowards because as soon as they saw Harold they dropped their victim and ran. Harold ran over to the fallen man to go help. As he got closer he could clearly see that the man who was getting his ass handed to him was none other than Tony Stark. The same Tony Stark who had just lost his parents not even a month ago.

"Hey man. You alright?" asked Happy as he knelt down and examined the cuts covering Stark's face.

"M' fine. No worries." Smiled Stark even though he was very clearly drunk and bleeding all over the place. Although, Harold couldn't find himself to feel mad about the whole drunk thing. Stark had just lost his parents and became the CEO of a Fortune 500 company all at the age of 21. That was enough to drive anyone to do stupid stuff.

"Dude, you're bleeding all over the ground. You're not ok. Here, I have a first aid kit at my place. Let's get you patched up." Suggested Harold. His mama always did tell him to help others in need.

Stark didn't even twitch as Harold helped him up and they made the trek to his apartment. It wasn't very far but it felt longer due to having to help a drunk injured person. The whole walk Harold had a frown on his face. He didn't know the whole situation but judging from all the past kidnappings and shit reported in the papers, Harold was pretty sure that those men had beat up Stark while he was vulnerable just to get at his money.

Harold was still frowning as he finally got himself and Stark back to his apartment.

"You need to smile more. Don't worry, be happy. Hey! That's what I'll call you. Happy!" giggled a still drunk Tony as Harold plopped him down on the couch of his apartment. Little did he know that that nickname would stick like superglue.

Harold spent about 20 minutes cleaning up all the blood and applying bandages. The whole time Stark drifted in and out of consciousness. After he was done, Harold just let the man sleep. He obviously needed it.

The next morning Harold was met with a slightly confused but more chipper Tony.

"You seem like a capable fella. I've been thinking of getting a bodyguard for a while now. You did manage to get those thugs off of me last night." Smiled Tony after Harold had asked how he was.

"Shouldn't you look for a professional?"

"And get stuck with someone who's only in it for the money and not give a shit about me? No thank you."

"I was just doing what any sane person would."

"Well there's only one other person who I know would do what you did last night. Thanks for that by the way. I think one of them spiked my drink last night. I should probably get going though. Obi will be mad if I'm late again. See you soon Happy!"

Stark ended up passing Happy a contact card with an address before leaving. Happy just sat there concerned. The fact that Stark had just brushed off the fact that he'd most likely been drugged was not good. That probably came from the experience happening more than once. It just didn't sit right with him.

Happy didn't know what exactly possessed him to accept Stark's offer. Probably the promise of a stable income and the opportunity to drive some pretty fucking sweet cars. Or maybe it was the fact that Stark just looked lonely and in need of a friend. Either way Happy rolled up to Stark's place a week later and ready to work.

One thing that Happy learned very quickly in working with Tony Stark was that the man was painfully insecure and in need of positive attention but hid it very well. To anybody who bothered to get to know the man, it was obvious. Tony had this undying need to please and Happy hated to think of where that came from.

Another thing that Happy learned was despite the fact that Happy was also hired on to be his driver, Tony Stark never let Happy actually drive him. I pissed Happy off at first before he remembered what had happened to Tony's parents a few months back. Now it was just an inside joke. Happy was the driver who didn't drive.

Very quickly Happy and Tony became friends. Despite the fact that Happy was supposed to be Tony's bodyguard, the two of them got int their fair share of mischief. And that mischief only got worse when Tony's best friend/brother James Rhodes was in Tony. He was another recipient of a Tony Stark nickname. Nobody called James, James, except for his mother. James was Rhodey in the same way Harold was Happy. Happy swore that that was Tony's secret superpower. Nicknaming people so aggressively that nobody ever used their actual names.

Another person to earn a Tony Stark Nickname was Virginia Potts or Pepper as Tony had dubbed her. She was hired on in 1995 as Tony's new personal assistant. Happy liked her. She took no shit from anybody, least of all Tony. They were good for each other and when Rhodey came home from being on tour it was always a riot with the four of them.

New Years of 1999 was interesting. Pepper was off visiting family, Rhodey was off fighting, so that left Happy to go with Tony to a conference in Cern for the holiday. Tony, despite all appearances, didn't really do well with crowds so naturally, he got plastered and Happy had to look out for his wayward friend. That included keeping some creep names Killian away from Tony. Something about him just felt off. That man was bad news.

Then there was that whole incident not even a couple of minutes later when Mya Hanson's plant exploded and Happy ended up tackling Tony to the bed to make sure he was safe. Let's just say that the ringing in of the new millennium had never before been so awkward.

The early 2000s brought some new changes to Happy's life. For one, Tony began to spiral again. Happy had a hunch that Obadiah Stane was behind Tony's recent string of bad behaviour. Stane himself had been acting strange and pushing Tony into new situations, but Happy had no proof of any wrongdoings so he couldn't do anything more than just keep an eye on his friend.

Another big change was Happy's father dying. He'd passed of old age in his sleep but the loss still affected him. Tony was nothing but supportive when Happy needed time to himself. Tony was a shoulder to cry on when he had nobody else. It was nice having someone who cared. The both of them needed this little family they'd been cultivating. Rhodey and Pepper were also a big help during this time, but Tony was the constant.

Unfortunately, Tony being a constant didn't last long. It wasn't like Tony didn't want to be there with Happy. No, he wanted to stay with his family and just be happy. But life had other plans and what followed was about 15 hardships and near-death experiences.

What kicked off the whole change in the world was Tony's kidnapping in 2008. Happy was the one to "drive" his best friend to the airport. He didn't really drive him. Tony drove the car faster then he should have while Happy laughed along in the passenger's seat. That was the last time he'd see his friend for three months.

When Tony was pronounced missing Happy freaked out. He wasn't the only one. Pepper and Rhodey were also in a tizzy hoping that their friend was alive somewhere out there in the desert. The only person not freaking out was Stane. It was unnerving and Happy vowed to keep his eyes on the man in case he had something to do with the whole thing. He did, of course, but Happy didn't find out till later.

When Rhodey called three months later with news that he'd found Tony, he and Pepper celebrated as they drove to the airport. They knew that Tony was beat-up pretty bad according to Rhodey, so Happy made sure to pick out the most comfortable car with the dark windows so that Tony felt safe and could relax for a second. Who knew what had happened to him while he was being kept in a cave by terrorists.

That same day when Tony came home, he held a press conference shutting down all weapons manufacturing at SI. Happy was proud of him. He knew that Tony disliked making weapons. He much preferred to build robots, even if said robots tended to get a little trigger happy with the fire extinguisher.

Shutting down weapons should have been the end of all of this. But then Tony built a suit, they found out Stane had been dealing under the table and had gotten Tony kidnapped, and Tony and Pepper had to fight him after he'd stolen the reactor right out of Tony's chest. The entire situation was a nightmare and Happy felt helpless during the entire fight. He knew he wasn't going to be much held against a giant suit of metal so he stayed back and offered support where he could.

Beating Stane should have been the end off all this madness, but then Tony just HAD to go and announce to the world that he was Iron Man.

Why couldn't things just stay simple?

Everyone was mad at Tony for revealing his identity. SHIELD was furious, Pepper was furious, Rhodey was a bit miffed, and Happy was worried but also found the whole thing hilarious. He'd known Tony for a long time and pulling a stunt like that was such a Tony thing to do. He knew the reason that Tony did that was because he wanted to make sure that he was held accountable for his actions as Iron Man. The theatrics were just an added bonus.

A couple of weeks after the whole "I Am Iron Man" fiasco Tony ended up pulling Happy aside one afternoon while they were chilling at his place for beer and movies.

"I want you to keep a hold of this until I get the balls to ask Pepper to marry me." Said Tony as he handed a shiny new ring to Happy.

"Don't you actually need to ask her out first dumbass?" smirked Happy and Tony looked a bit put off.

"Aren't you going to ask, "why Pepper?" and all that jazz?"

"No. Anyone with eyes can see you're crazy about her. Just try not to fuck this up when you do ask her out."

"What do you take me for Hap. I'm perfectly capable of asking Pepper out."

It would be six more months and a bout of palladium poisoning before Tony got the balls to ask Pepper out. Until then Happy had to live with the horrible sexual tension between his friends and it was killing him.

Happy was mad that Tony hadn't told anyone that he was dying. He understood why but he was still mad. He was also mad about that Romanoff girl from SHIELD infiltrating the company while Tony was vulnerable. Sure she was good in a fight and helped take down Vanko and Hammer, but the "personality profile", if one could even call it that, that she'd made on Tony while he was ACTIVELY DYING AND SCARED made Tony feel down for days. He tried not to show it but Happy knew he was upset with what Romanoff had written. He did what he could to help cheer Tony up. He always was a sensitive soul even though he tried to hide it.

The best thing to come out of the whole ordeal was that Tony had finally gotten his head out of his ass and asked Pepper out. Happy had gotten the story from Rhodey and couldn't help but laugh a bit. Sure, the whole situation was absolutely ridiculous, but Happy was still happy for his friends. They deserved a break. Now if only Tony would stop trying to set Happy up with people. He'd find a girlfriend on his own time. Maybe someone more down to earth and responsible. Possibly with glasses. Yeah, Happy liked the sound of that.

Happy will always remember the day things changed for the worst. The day Tony met the Avengers would always be a black mark for him. Sure Tony had always been anxious and shy beneath his carefully cultivated masks. But everything with meeting Steve Rogers and the fight in Manhattan just made things so much worse.

Happy never did learn what happened between him and Pepper leaving for DC and Tony almost dying flying a nuke through a portal, but Tony wasn't the same man afterwards. Tony was more anxious and jumpy. He wasn't sleeping. He often talked about incoming alien threats that in all honesty, everyone should have listened too. Tony looked like shit and Happy did what he could to help.

He made a point of going out and just doing guy stuff every week with Tony. Often times they drove out to an old abandoned race track and raced each other for hours. Sometimes they would box together. More often then not, Happy would bring in Pepper and Rhodey and all four of them would just stay in together and watch movies and eat take-out.

But still, Tony's ongoing mental health issues were putting a strain on everyone.

Happy didn't remember much about the whole Mandarin incident. He remembered tailing a guy who was being overly flirty with Pepper and he remembered pain. That was really it. And well, all things considered, Happy was pretty happy that he didn't remember being blown up.

He remembered what happened after though. His Mom had come to visit not long after he'd woken up and filled him in a bit. And, even though Happy was still healing, he worried for Tony and Pepper. Although, Tony was very quick to fix Pepper's problem and use the new extremis to fix his broken heart and remove the reactor.

Once all of them were out of the hospital they all spent more and more time together. Facing some pretty stellar near-death experiences was a good excuse to just stay in and relax. Although, that relaxation was often punctured by Tony taking calls from this kid he'd met named Harley who was just full of questions.

And then shit hit the fan. Again. While Tony was still recovering, SHIELD fell and the Avengers came knocking. So, they packed up and moved back to New York. They started going on missions to take down HYDRA and the tower became a base for them to work from. It put a strain on Tony and Pepper's relationship and Happy was caught in the middle.

The whole thing with Ultron was a clusterfuck from the get-go. When it was all over Tony was so messed up and distraught over it that he pretty much stopped eating and sleeping altogether. It was worse than the battle against Loki. Pepper had left at that time. Tony was too erratic and she couldn't help him like she wanted too. Plus all the legal stuff was a headache. She needed a break.

Happy split his time between the two and it was one night when he was with Tony where he learned what had happened and why the courts had cleared him. That was also the night that Happy decided that he hated Wanda Maximoff. Anybody who messed with his friend and made him hurt was horrible in his book.

"They said it wasn't my fault but I can't help but feel like it was." Mumbled Tony as he sat on the couch next to Happy.

"Tony, it wasn't your fault. That bitch messed with your mind and that stone thing brought a dead program to life. It's not your fault."

"But I should have been better. I should have been better."

Tony hated what this had done to his friend. He just wished things could get better. Tony had had a hard life. He needed a break.

Unfortunately, he didn't get one.

Happy wasn't happy with the whole accords situation. He was made at the "rogue Avengers" for wanting to go against the wishes of 117 countries. He was mad at them for fighting and people getting hurt. And he was absolutely LIVID at Steve Rogers for lying to Tony for two years about his parent's murder and then beating the shit out of Tony when he got upset about it. The injuries Tony came home with were insane. Broken ribs, frostbite, concussion, just to name a few.

The only good thing to come out of the so-called "Civil War" was the current thorn in his side by the name of Peter Parker. That kid was a bundle of energy with puppy dog eyes. Honestly, he was like a mini Tony without the years of neglect and abuse.

And he was currently in charge of keeping an eye on the kid while Tony focused on healing from Siberia. Tony had said that he'd wanted to mentor the spider kid himself, but he really did need time to heal. Pepper had come back and had pretty much demanded that Tony take a break for a little bit. And Happy had to agree. Tony was still covered in bruises, he had a tremor on his left hand from nerve damage, and he was just tired. So, Happy took up the responsibility of watching over Peter while Tony got better.

Easier said than done.

Getting calls from Peter every other day wasn't that bad. He always sent them along to Tony just to see his friend smile at the kid's antics. But once Peter started tog et himself into trouble, well, that was a different story altogether.

There was this whole thing with stolen alien weapons, Tony having to save the kid more than once, and the whole thing with the stolen Stark plane. And before the hijacking, Happy was very proud of getting everything safely on its way. Sure, his mom had doubted him, and rightly so in the end, but Happy was still proud of his work and Tony wasn't mad so there's that.

A week after that whole debacle, Tony had asked Happy to bring the spider kid to the new Avengers compound. He wanted to apologize for being absent (Even though it wasn't his fault. He needed to heal.) and to offer the kid a spot on the team so he could receive better training.

The kid, to his credit, turned down the offer to be an Avengers. He wanted to take Tony's advice to start small and work his way up. They let Peter go but with strict instruction to join Tony in his lab on the weekends now that he'd healed up a bit.

So Peter left to go wait for Happy in the car and Pepper came out of the room in a tizzy because Peter took off.

"I've got like 20 reporters out here waiting for some big announcement!"

"We'll think of something. How about… Hap? Do you still have the ring?" asked Tony and Happy looked shocked

"What?"

"The engagement ring?"

"Are you kidding me? I've been carrying this since 2008!"

"…OK!" stammered out Tony and Happy instantly knew he was nervous.

"I think I can think of something better than that." Spoke Pepper but her smile betrayed her. She was over the moon excited that Tony was finally popping the question.

"Well, it'll just by us some time." Stuttered Tony nervously as Pepper leaned in for a kiss. "Like we need time."

Pepper smiled and made to walk back into the room and Tony just stood there in shock and awe of what was about to happen. Happy snapped him out of it and tossed Tony the ring as he ran to catch up with Pepper. Happy texted Peter and said he'd be at the car in a minute. There was no way Happy was missing this proposal. Plus now Rhodey owed him 50$. But really. He was happy for his friends. They deserved this.

After the surprise proposal, things actually got better for a time. Peter was over on the weekends working with Tony. Tony and Pepper were beginning the long and annoying process of planning their wedding. Rhodey master walking with his new braces. And Happy, well, he was just happy that everyone else was doing well. They had family game and movie nights. They all had dinners together. Happy took a vacation to Rome with his mom and had a fantastic time. Things were good.

Almost too good.

The day the world as the knew it ended started out just like any normal day. Happy had dropped Pepper and Tony off for a run while he got some stuff with SI settled. Next thing he knew Pepper was calling him frantically saying that Tony was in space and aliens had attacked. This was bad. Happy swooped in to pick her up and they started the drive to the compound where they both knew that the other Avengers would be meeting up.

They stayed the night at the compound after catching up with Rhodey and seeing the other Avengers off to Wakanda. Now all they could do was wait. Pepper started pre-emptively getting relief efforts started with SI and communicating with governments. She and Happy were actually in a video call with the president when people started turning to dust. There was screaming and panic and nobody knew what to do. Pepper and Happy held onto each other and hoped that the other's were alive as well.

On the ensuing panic, they sent out calls upon calls to check in with the people they cared about. May and Peter were gone and that hurt. Rhodey was alright as well as half of the Avengers. Happy's mom was gone and the same with Pepper's. They still had no news on Tony.

The next few days were filled with grief and mourning. The few Avengers left returned to the compound the relief efforts were deployed worldwide. One day, Rogers and Romanov went out and found something left behind by Fury. It was a pager that made everyone born after 1960 just gag. None of them had used a pager since the '90s!

But, with that pager came one Carol Danvers who offered to help them look for Tony as she searched for Thanos on space. This raccoon named Rocket that had Happy confused gave Danvers the description of his ship in the hopes that his friends were on it and had Tony.

Not long after Danvers left, Happy saw Pepper run off to the bathroom. Happy went after her and when he heard the sound of throwing up he walked in to help.

"Pepper? You feeling alright?" asked Happy as he helped her up off the bathroom floor. She nodded and sat down on the edge of the bathtub.

"I just hope that Danvers can find Tony if he's out there. I really need him for this."

"What do you need him for?"

"Tony had a dream just before Thanos and all of this happened. He dreamed we had a baby and when he asked me if I was pregnant I said no. I took a test two days ago. He was right. He's always right."

And even though hearing that his friend was pregnant was amazing news, Happy didn't feel much like smiling. He wanted his friend back home and he wanted all of this to just go away. All Happy could do was hug Pepper and hope for the best.

They got lucky. They got really lucky. Danvers was able to find Tony and bring him home. Sure he was oxygen-deprived, starving, and depressed, but he was alive. Plus Tony got to yell at Rogers. Happy had the recording on his phone for months. Even though Tony was hurt at the time, it made him smile.

After a week at the compound, Tony was able to weasel his way into getting sent home. Happy and Rhodey helped prepare things and Pepper made sure that Tony was comfortable. Happy wasn't there when Pepper told Tony that she was pregnant but according to Rhodey, Tony had cried. Great, now he owned the man 20 bucks.

Because Pepper was expecting, they kind of had a shotgun wedding. Pepper wanted to get married before the baby arrived so just three months after the snap they had a wedding and a beautiful little lake house that Tony and Pepper had bought to move into. They wanted out of the city and Happy couldn't blame them. Too many bad memories.

Tony and Pepper's wedding wasn't really what they'd wanted, but it was still perfect. Happy had officiated. He'd known them both for so long that he just had too. It was small. Like really small. The only people there who weren't Happy and Rhodey were Bruce, Thor, and Romanov. Rogers wasn't invited. Tony had wanted too originally because he wanted to mend bridges but Pepper had put her foot down. She was still mad at him.

Five months after the wedding, Happy got to watch his friends become parents to a happy, healthy baby girl.

Happy was there the day little Morgan Stark was born. Actually he was the one to drive Pepper and Tony to the hospital. Tony was absolutely freaking out and under any other circumstances that would have been hilarious. Happy stood guard outside the entire time Pepper gave birth. He didn't want any harm to come to his friends or their baby.

When Happy first got to hold little Morgan Stark he instantly knew that he would protect this child with his life. She was just so small and delicate. And even though the world was still in shambles after the snap, Happy knew that this little baby was the light in the dark they all needed.

"You wanna know her middle name?" asked Tony as he watched Happy hold his daughter.

"Sure. What is it?"

"It's Happy."

Happy was floored at that news. Happy? Really? She was named after him!

"Really?"

"Really. Happy, you've been my friend for so long. You've always been there when we needed you. You're family. Of course, Mo has your name."

Happy will forever deny he cried at the news. Even if Rhodey got it on video.

The next five years felt simultaneously happy and empty. The world was trying to rebuild after losing half the population as well as animal life. Pepper and Tony moved their daughter to a lake house they had built. They didn't want her in the cities. It was too dangerous. Happy moved in next door. He didn't have anything left but the Starks and Rhodey. They were family after all.

Pepper still worked for SI and Happy went with her to the city often for work. They were using arc reactor tech to get the electrical grids up and running around the world. Tony just stayed at home to be a dad. He'd officially put Iron Man behind him. Nobody blamed him. He'd suffered enough and deserved time with what was left of his family. They all still felt the empty hole made by Peter. But they kept the kid's memory alive. Every night Morgan would ask for a story about her big brother Peter.

Things were quiet for a long while. People went to work, the world slowly began to heal, things got better. But then Rogers, Romanov, and some guy named Scott Lang showed up with the idea of time travel to fix what Thanos did. Soon enough Tony had invented time travel and was off working with the Avengers while he and Pepper stayed home with Morgan.

One of the biggest regrets in Happy's life was the fact that he never got to say a proper goodbye to Tony. He was there the day that Tony left to go with the other Avengers to go undo the Snap so he could help watch Morgan. Everything was ready to go so they were all there to wish Tony and Rhodey good luck.

"You guys watch each other's backs out there, ya hear." Smiled Happy as he gave both Tony and Rhodey a hug.

"Don't worry Happy. We'll fix this and everything will turn out exactly as it should." Smiled Tony as he hugged back.

If Happy had known that that was the last time he was ever going to see Tony alive he would have said so many other things. He would have told Tony how much he valued the friendship they had shared over the years. He would have told Tony how amazing he truly was. He would have told Tony that he was happy with how their lives had turned out. There was so much left unsaid, yet so much that both of them understood.

And when Pepper got called away in the Rescue armour to go help defeat Thanos once more, Happy just knew that he would never get to see his best friend again. He spent the next hour just sitting there with Morgan and keeping her occupied even though the sounds of war could be heard in the distance.

"Uncle Happy, why are you crying?"

Happy reached up and felt the tears on his cheeks. He hadn't even realized he was crying. And what made things worse was that Happy couldn't tell Morgan why he was crying.

The funeral was beautiful. It was a good chance for everyone to say goodbye. Everyone was there, even Barnes, Maximoff, and the Pym family. They all wanted to pay their respects to the man who had saved their entire universe. Happy just hated that it took Tony's death for them to see him as a person.

The next month was a whirlwind and Happy honestly didn't remember much of it. It was full of trying to help people reintegrate into this new world as well as dealing with new problems at SI because of Tony's death. And for as much as Happy was still mourning in the couple of months since Tony's death, he still had work to do. He was helping Pepper with whatever he could when it came to housework and babysitting Morgan, and he was also keeping an eye on Peter. The poor kid had been there when Tony had died and it really cut him deep.

Watching Peter should have been a simple job. Especially after Happy had started seeing May Parker. She was so nice and funny and she made his heart flutter when she laughed. They worked great together when it came to watching Peter and with May's new non-profit to help people displaced after the Blip.

When Peter went off on vacation with his friends to Europe for a few weeks everything should have been fine. But then Fury had to stick his nose where it didn't belong and a man Tony had fired because he was using tech made for therapy to make weapons arose. Clearly nobody could catch a break.

There was one moment though, that had Happy in tears. He'd just picked up Peter in Holland after he got hit by a train. The poor kid was scared and asking him all these questions and Happy was worried. He eventually got Peter onto the plane and stitched the poor kid up and gave him a pep talk.

Eventually, Happy had to get the jet in the air and Peter had to work on making a new suit. Happy got Peter set up with some of Tony's old fabricator tech in the back of the jet and the kid got right to work. Happy took a moment to just watch Peter do his thing. God, he was so much like Tony. Watching Peter was like watching tony back when he was younger. He was so full of life. He questioned everything. He pushed boundaries. He smiled more. God, he missed him. He would always miss him.

"What?" asked Peter as he turned around while fiddling with a hologram to stare at Happy.

"Nothing." Smiled Happy sadly. "You take care of the suit. I'll take care of the music." From there Happy put on one of Tony's old playlists. Back in Black by AC/DC should be enough to drown out the sound of him trying not to cry while also thinking that with Peter there, the future was hopeful.

"Oh! I love Led Zeppelin!"

Well… maybe not.

In the end, Happy was able to help save Peter's classmates and Peter was able to stop Beck from murdering himself as well as thousands of others. But still, Peter got hurt and felt horrible over the whole thing. He got EDITH back and trying to process everything that had happened. Happy helped where he could and he made sure that Peter made it back to May in one piece.

At least he'd succeeded in protecting the boy Tony saw as a son. At least for now.

So, that was the story of Happy and Tony. And though Tony may have died, his spirit lives on. It lives in all his friends and family, in his children, and in his legacy. A legacy that Happy was more than happy to protect for Peter and Morgan. They deserved the world and Happy was going to give it to them. At least now that Beck was dead they could all take a break.

But life with heroes is never easy.

* * *

Alright. We all crying? I think we are. I am. I'm not even joking. I don't often cry while writing my own shit but this did it for me. I hope you enjoyed this little fic of mine. Don't be afraid to check out my others. Let me know what you thought. Also, I refuse to believe that the Russo's made Morgan's middle name Howard. Tony would never do that. Howard Stark was a horrible father and obviously the Russo's never watched the Iron Man movies or did any research. I like my choice better. See you around. -Shadows.


	13. Time after time

Time after Time

An Alternate look into the 1970s portion of the Time Heist because Howard Stark was a dick and should not have been redeemed.

Rated T, no ships

Hey there guys! All aboard the angst train. In this house was stan Tony Stark and hate Howard Stark's abusive ass. It's glaringly obvious that the Russo's and M&M never watched the Iron Man movies or did ANY FUCKING RESEARCH INTO THE CHARACTER! So, here's my take filled with more angst and a more Howard bashing. I'll see you at the end.

* * *

Despite the fact that he'd literally invented time travel and was currently in fucking 1970, Tony remained adamant that the "Time Heist" was a bad idea. He'd rather be at home playing with Morgan then sitting with Steve Rogers in a shitty motel in New Jersey trying to figure out the best way to get more Pym Particles and to retrieve the Space Stone from the SHIELD base.

This was hell.

Really, the only reason Tony was there was because he missed Peter. In the time he'd know Peter, that kid had become like a son to him. He told Morgan stories of her big brother every night and he kept pictures of them around the house. He wanted Peter back. He wanted him to be more than a bedtime story for his daughter.

Because they weren't in any kind of actual rush, Tony and Steve spent the entire night in the motel so they could sleep and recuperate before getting what they needed. That was the nice part of time travel. They could return to the exact moment they left once they were ready. Although Tony could have gone without the super-soldier snoring for most of the night.

The next morning the two took off to the army base where they knew the fledgling SHIELD was forming. Steve dressed himself in an old captain's uniform and Tony put on an old suit so he'd look like he was from MIT if anyone asked.

The arrived at the base without any problems and they quickly figured out where they needed to go to get things done. They agreed on a meeting place and set off to get what they needed. So, while Steve went off to get the Pym Particles, Tony went to the secure storage facilities in the basement to find the stone.

Finding the stone and retrieving it wasn't really a problem. Actually, the security around the thing sucked. Like, really sucked. Tony had no problems at all. Well, no problems until he was spotted trying to find the exit.

"Dr. Zola? You down here?" came a voice from behind Tony.

Tony froze where he stood. He knew that voice. He'd grown up hearing that voice and despite it being years since he'd heard it, it still sent a shiver down his spine. Tony slowly turned around and was soon face to face with one Howard Walter Anthony Stark. The man who belittled him. The man who shouted at him and threw things. The man who drank too much. The man, who despite what Fury said, never liked Tony for anything other then what he could create.

This was a nightmare.

"Hey. Doors this way pal." Spoke Howard as Tony tried to get away. But at this point, he knew it was futile so he'd better just roll with everything so he could get out of here.

"You haven't seen Dr. Zola have you?" asked Howard as the two began walking towards the door.

"No. No. Dr. Zol. Haven't seen a soul." Rambled Tony as he tried to keep all his feelings under control.

"Do I know you?" asked Howard as he stared Tony down.

"No. No. I'm a uh, visitor from MIT."

"You gotta name there?"

"Um… Parker. Parker Potts." Replied Tony as he tried to avoid eye contact with the man. The name he'd chosen for the lie wasn't arbitrary at all. He'd chosen Parker to remind him of why he was there and what he was working towards. To see Peter again.

"You lookin' a little green around the gills there Potts. Wanna get some air?"

Tony was all too happy to comply with that. The sooner he was out of this bunker and outside the sooner he could get away from his father and return to his own time. Tony followed Howard back to the elevator and joined in with his small talk. It was better to blend in and not focus on all the long-forgotten emotions that were bubbling to the surface. Hopefully, he'd be free of his father soon and he could return to his life without him in it.

"Flowers and… sauerkraut? You got a big date tonight?" asked Tony as he tried to keep things from getting awkward.

"No, uh. My wife is expecting. She's mad I've spent too much time in the office."

Tony wanted to snap that he would always spend too much time in the office be he kept himself from doing that.

"Congratulation. How far along is she?" asked Tony even though he knew full well what date it was. It was only a little less than two months until he'd be born.

"Um. I'm not sure. She's at the point where she can't stand the sound of my chewing. You got any kids Potts?"

Kids. That was something Tony actually felt comfortable talking about.

"I've got two. A teenage boy and a little girl." Smiled Tony. And the words he spoke were true. Even though Peter wasn't there, he was for sure one of his. Maybe he'd ask May if they could co-parent assuming this all worked and they got both of them back.

"A girl would be nice. Less of a chance of them turning out like me."

"Well, I've spent my whole life trying not to turn out like my father. I think I've done alright with my kids. Sure, I've made mistakes, but those happen."

And that may have not been the right thing to say, but Tony felt better getting it off his chest. He knew that his world wouldn't sway Howard into being a better parent but being able to say them made Tony feel lighter. It was as if one of the weights had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe now he could finally move forward.

Tony and Howard continued to talk as they made it outside. Howard asked advice on how to care for a baby. Tony gave it and hoped that Howard would use some of it. Sure, he knew he was mostly raised by Ana and Edwin, but maybe this would help a bit. Although he highly doubted that.

Speaking of Edwin. Tony couldn't help but smile when he saw Edwin Jarvis waiting there with a car ready for Howard. Tony couldn't help but give the man a small wave. Edwin Jarvis would always be important to him. He was glad he'd gotten to see him one last time.

"Well, I'd better get going." Spoke Tony as he saw Steve eyeing him from their meeting place.

"So soon?"

"Yeah. I've got to hand some papers off to Col. Philips." Rambled Tony as he began to back up.

"Alright, Potts. See you around."

"Yeah. See you around." Replied Tony as he turned and walked away. Personally, he'd be happy if he never had to see Howard Stark again. The man was in the past and Tony would like it to remain that way.

Tony made his way over to Steve and the two swiftly exited the base so they could leave without being caught. The whole walk Steve was staring at Tony and Tony was ignoring him. He felt like shit after that encounter but at least he'd gotten the stone they needed.

"You alright Tony?" asked Steve as he saw how pale Tony was.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just glad this is all over. Let's head back now." Sighed Tony.

Luckily, Steve didn't pry and the two suited up to return to 2023. Tony hoped that this would work and wasn't all for nothing. He just wanted Peter back so he could finally retire and stay home with the kids. He just wanted peace. He just wanted a chance.

God, he hoped this worked.

* * *

Hey there guys. What did you think? I know it was short but I'm happy with this one. Still angsty but I like it. It's more realistic here. On another note, has anyone seen Jacksfilms new video "Twitter for Android"? That songs gonna be stuck in my head for a long ass time. Well, anyways. I hope you enjoyed this. I'm working on a few other one-shots and I've gotten a good start on my two new long fics. I'll be seeing you all soon. Happy reading! -Shadows


	14. Trust in you Trust in me

**Trust in me. Trust in You.**

After the incident with Project Insight, Tony is left cleaning up the mess left behind from the data dump. As more and more distressing things come to light Tony is left caring for an overprotective Winter Soldier while also trying to reconcile with his own feelings on everything he'd learned.

Rated T. Ship- Winteriron

Hello there everyone! It's time for a new one-shot! I hope you're ready. I'll see you at the end.

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Tony hadn't heard from any of the Avengers in weeks and it was beginning to piss him off. Sure he was still recovering from heart surgery, but Rogers still should have called him to help when Project Insight launched. He was the guy who designed the new carriers and he knew how to keep them on the ground. And the data dump? Well, that was just a mess and Tony was stuck cleaning it up because he didn't want to see innocent SHIELD agents dead. So, instead of resting Tony was stuck sifting through data and saving people.

So, Tony spent his nights not sleeping and sifting through data and his days doing work for SI and Pepper. It was a bit stressful working with Pepper. They'd recently broken up and it was hard. Sure, Pepper understood why he continued to do work as Iron Man, but the stress of everything with extremis was too much for her. Tony understood. He wanted Pepper to be safe and healthy and that wasn't an option with him. They were still friends, but it would be a little awkward for a while.

The one thing that trouble Tony, as he sifted through so many HYDRA/SHIELD files was the information on the Winter Soldier, or as he was better known as, James "Bucky" Barnes. There were heaps of information on the brainwashing and all the horrible stuff done to him, but there was also a sealed file that was bothering him. Tony was wary to open it. He didn't know why. He just felt like it wasn't something good.

Although, after a few sleepless nights, Tony's curiosity got the better of him and he started to unlock the file. He knew something really fishy was up from the get-go. As he unlocked the file Tony very quickly realized that that the code used to lock the file was very familiar. It was Natasha's but the whole thing ended in "SR". That was really concerning. What did those two had to hide?

Well, it turned out that what they were hiding sent Tony into a panic attack. The video that was hidden in the file was horrible. Tony had to watch as a brainwashed Winter Soldier crash his parent's car, kill Howard and then choke Tony's Mamma as she begged for her life. Tony didn't care much about Howard. He was an abusive drunk. But his Mamma, she deserved so much better. And seeing her murdered had him sobbing alone on the floor of his lab with nobody for comfort.

He was alone. He was scared. He was hurting. And soon enough, Tony was angry. He was angry at HYDRA for making him an orphan and killing his Mamma. He was angry at Howard for forcing his Mamma to go with him that night. And he was angry at Steve and Natasha for trying to hide this form him.

Tony spent the night in his lab with the only comfort he had being JARVIS and his bots. What a sad life he lived.

A week after watching the tape, Tony wasn't feeling as much like shit has he had previously. Sure, he was absolutely furious at Natasha and Steve, but he was working through things. He needed to. He didn't have much of a choice. He had time to think things over. He wasn't mad at Branes for hilling his parents. He was mad at Howard and HYDRA for all the pain he was currently feeling.

So anyway, Tony was feeling a little less like shit and he still had work to do. He had work to do and he did NOT want to be disturbed. Which was why he was feeling a little pissed off when JARVIS announced that there was someone requesting entrance into his private floors.

"Who the hell is requesting entrance at 3 in the FUCKING MORNING!?" snapped Tony as he closed up his holograms and stood up for the first time in hours.

"According to my facial recognition software, it appears to be Sargent James Barnes."

"WHAT?!"

Tony was out of his lab in seconds and commanding JARVIS to let the man in. Tony was completely confused about the situation. He head was swimming with conflicting thoughts and feeling. But most of all. He was just curious as to what the hell was going on.

The second Barnes walked out of the elevator to Tony's floor Tony was struck by just how big Barnes was. Even with the layers he was wearing Tony could tell that Barnes had some serious muscle on him. Although, Tony didn't have much time to ponder over Barnes's physique before the man was stalking towards him with his metal arm on display. He backed Tony into a wall before looking him in the eye and finally speaking.

"Fix it." Snapped Barnes as he thrust his metal arm into Tony's face.

"Well, that's not very polite." Mumbled Tony as he tried to get control over the situation.

"Fix it… please?"

The way Barnes said please was odd. In fact, the way he talked was odd. His voice was all scratchy and he wasn't sure of his words. Tony was sure that the man hadn't been given the chance to talk in a long, long time. It was kind of sad. It made Tony want to burn HYDRA even more than he already did for the death of his mom.

"Alright, let's head down to my lab. I can't exactly do anything without my tools."

Barnes nodded and took a step back allowing tony to breathe. He was starting to feel a little claustrophobic. So, Tony began leading Barnes further into the place. Tony's lab was tucked away from the main living area for obvious reasons. Although, as they were walking, Tony had a bit of an idea that he should probably address.

"I should really call Rogers. Pretty sure he's been looking for you."

"NO!" shouted Barnes and Tony tried to suppress a flinch as he turned on him.

"No?"

"No. Don't want him."

"…Alright. But if he finds out and gets mad then that's on you." Tony really wasn't looking forward to that inevitable argument.

Tony lead Barnes into the lab and had him sit down on a spare stool as he got to work. Tony had JARVIS do multiple scans while Tony started rooting through the wiring. The whole time he was searching Barnes's face for signs of pain but the assassin remained stoic yet intrigued by his new surroundings.

After about half an hour, Tony found the problem.

"It's waterlogged. I'll need to give it all a good cleaning. It could take a few days. But honestly with the way things look it would be better to just make you a whole new arm."

"New arm?"

"Yeah. Gotta be honest, I can totally make one better than this. I might take a little longer but it'll perform much better and you'll probably feel less pain cus I can make it lighter than this junk. So what'ya say? New arm?"

Barnes nodded enthusiastically and Tony couldn't help but smile back. He guy was a little bit like a shy puppy.

So, in between sorting out SHIELD files, Tony began working on a new arm for Barnes once he got some scans of his current one. And while Tony worked, Barnes sulked in the shadows. Tony had set the man up with a room and new clothes, but Barnes wasn't sure what to do with himself. So, he took to sitting in Tony's lab in the corner and watching. It was a bit unnerving.

To pass the time and make things less awkward Tony began talking as he worked. Might as well get Barnes caught up on all the things he missed being a frozen murder machine. Tony talked about major events, movies, books, the time he hacked the Pentagon on a dare. It helped pass the time. And slowly, as time passed, Barnes began moving closer and closer until one day, he was sitting cross-legged at Tony's feet while he worked. He just sat there and listened. He didn't talk much, but he was slowly finding his voice.

There was one afternoon when Tony was yammering away and Barnes was actually joining in the conversation. It was nice. They were talking about how Barnes had wanted to be a mechanic when he was little. He'd always liked watching all the different cars as they drove by.

As they were talking, Tony came to the realization that he couldn't just keep calling Barnes, Barnes. The guy deserved to be called what he wanted to be called.

"What should I call you?" asked Tony rather bluntly.

"Sorry?" asked a confused Barnes.

"Look, I can't just keep calling you Barnes. What do you want me to call you? You deserve to pick for yourself."

And poor Barnes, who hadn't really been able to make his own decisions for 70 years, well, he wasn't sure what to do. He had this wonderful opportunity before him. He could choose his new identity. He could finally be a new person. A better person. A free person.

"…James. Call me James."

And so many wonderful things blossomed from those simple words.

The first wonderful thing to happen was Tony finishing James's new arm. Tony was so fucking proud of himself. And who wouldn't be? He'd just built a fully functioning metal arm that connected to the nervous system from scratch. Not only was this amazing for James, but it also gave Tony the confidence he needed to launch a new prosthetics division for SI Medical. James cried when he was fitted with the new arm. He loved it so much. He actually made Tony a cupcake as a thank you.

And that was another surprise for the both of them. James had found out that he had a knack for baking. It kept him calm and allowed him to sample some of the foods he'd never had the chance to before. It was really sweet (pun intended) to see how happy he got when trying new things.

James actually continued to live in the tower. James had been sure that Tony would kick him out after the arm was done. Tony, on the other hand, didn't really want James to leave. He'd gotten so used to the man's company that he knew if he left he'd just continue to wallow in loneliness.

James actually liked living in the tower. He had his own space and was given the freedom to make his own decisions. It was amazing. He'd never felt so free before. He would split his days between catching up on different books while sitting down in Tony's lab and experimenting in the kitchen. It kept his mind active and his hands busy. Plus he got to eat what he made.

Somewhere along the line, James noticed that when Tony got in "the zone" he was abysmal at taking care of himself. That doesn't mean that Tony was always horrible at looking after himself. It was just when there was too much work to be done and so many people getting mad at him all the time, Tony tended to put any kind of self-care on the back burner. James noticed things as they happened, but the day he decided to actively do something about it was an odd one.

"Sir. I must remind you that it is time to take your heart medication." Spoke JARVIS one afternoon when the two were sitting down in the lab.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry J." said Tony, a bit meekly as he shuffled over to take the medication in question.

"You're on heart medication?" asked James as he stared at the man.

"Um, yeah. I uh… I had heart surgery to remove my arc reactor a couple of months before the whole SHIELD falling and HYDRA being exposed thing. I'll still be on medication for a long time cuz my heart was pretty damaged from everything. Shrapnel is a bitch."

And this was when James realized that he was living with an idiot. A genius sure, but an idiot none the less. From there James vowed to keep the man from inadvertently killing himself because he was too absorbed in things and forget to eat, sleep, and take his medications.

And you know what? It worked. Tony wasn't dying and James felt better about things. Actually, the whole act of keeping a sassy, short thing from dying due to stupidity felt normal to him. It took a lot of reading and working on his memory for him to realize why. It made sense to him now, but James was more than happy sticking with Tony then running off to find Steve now that he had some of his memories back. He wasn't the same man as he used to be and he was ok with that.

Although, after about a week of magically appearing food and meds, Tony quickly caught onto James's game.

"You know, you don't need to do all this stuff for me. You're a free man. Plus you already thanked me for the arm."

"I know that. But you're an idiot who gets too engrossed in his work when people get mad so someone has to look out for your dumbass."

Well, Tony hadn't been expecting that as a response. Although, he was happy that James was coming out of his shell and finding enough of his voice to tell Tony off for doing stupid shit. And well, Tony had no rebuttal for that so he just let James's mother henning continue. He couldn't say he was mad about it.

Tony and James lived in their little nebulous bubble of contentment for five months before things came crashing down. The two were just eating breakfast together like they tended to do when JARVIS announced that Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanov were demanding entrance to Tony's floor. The two looked at each other confused. This was incredibly unexpected. James was feeling conflicted at the news. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see Steve yet.

And Tony on the other hand, well he was just mad. He was still angry over the whole Project Insight thing and he was furious over Steve and Natasha hiding the file about his parents. He really didn't want to deal with Rogers and his merry band of calamity incarnate. Unfortunately neither had much of a choice on the matter. Natasha knew how to break JARVIS, and even with the new updates, Tony wasn't going to risk it. He loved JARVIS. Everyone loved JARVIS. He wasn't going to risk it.

So, Tony gave his permission and the two waited with bated breath for all hell to break loose. And hell did break loose.

"Stark, I was wondering if you might have someplace for us to stay while we sort out this whole HYDRA thing…" Started Steve as he and the others walked into the room. But, once he spotted that James was there too, all bets of civil conversation were off.

"Bucky? What are you going here?" asked Steve as he walked closer to his long lost friend. James took a few steps back and Steve stopped.

"I needed help. Tony helped me." Replied James as he started looking for a way out of this. And by the look on his face, so was Tony.

"I could have helped." Spoke Steve once more as he tried to get closer.

"I don't think you could have helped me with a broken metal arm punk. I needed a mechanic so I found the best one. Now we're friends."

"You should have told me he was here Stark! I've been looking all over for him " snapped Steve as he turned his attention from James to Tony.

"No, I shouldn't have. James told me not to. Don't you think that after 70 years of brainwashing the man should be allowed to make his own choices for once?" rebutted Tony. His eyes were wide and his face was starting to pale.

"It's not your right!"

"Well it is James's and I refuse to break his trust!"

An awkward silence permeated the room. Steve was standing his ground with anger in his eyes. Natasha was inching closer to be his back up. Sam wasn't entirely sure what was going on. James just wanted to leave but didn't want to without Tony. And Tony, well, he was just working on his breathing. Now wasn't the time to have a breakdown.

"You still shouldn't be hiding things Stark." Grumbled Steve and Tony's eyes darkened in anger.

"Well isn't that hypocritical of you. See Rogers, what I want to know is why you and Miss Spider over there think it's alright to keep secrets that don't affect you at all? Why'd you try and hide the file? Do you both hate me so much that you feel the need to hide my parent's murder from me? Do I really mean so little to you?" asked Tony. His hands were starting to shake and the room was silent. Steve's face paled and he fumbled over his words for a second before speaking.

"You were never supposed to know." Whispered Steve and Natasha nodded. Tony's face hardened and James felt like punching something.

"Why not?"

"Because you would have killed Bucky."

"Well, as you can see, I found out and I didn't. I helped him and fixed him up. It doesn't matter that it was his arm that killed my mom. I still helped him because I'm a good person and he's my friend." Snapped Tony.

"It's not his fault!"

"Don't you think I know that! It's HYDRA and Howard's fault! James is just as much a victim as I am. But you are NOT allowed to dictate how I feel about all of this! You don't get to make that choice for me! I'm hurt that you think that you have the right to dictate my feeling and keep big secrets from me! You don't have the right!"

And well, Steve didn't really like being told that at all. He didn't like being told that he was in the wrong and it just made him angry. He didn't know hat to take no for an answer. He started stalking closer to Tony with the intent to fight but James quickly got in the way. He knew that this would end badly and he didn't want to see Tony get hurt.

"STOP!" shouted James as he looked between the two. Steve was funning and Tony looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"Just stop. Steve, back off. I made my own decisions and you need to respect that. Tony has been nothing but nice to me. He gave me a safe place to stay where I could figure things out and he gave me a new arm. Stop yellin' at him and treatin' him like shit. Just back off."

Steve and his companions stood there shocked but James didn't care. He just grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him back towards his room where he could calm down. He yelled at JARVIS to keep an eye on Steve and his crew while he sat Tony down on his bed and pulled him into a hug. James wasn't really one for physical contact after everything he'd been through. But holding Tony in his arms just felt right.

Despite none of them really wanting them there, Steve, Sam, and Natasha stayed in the tower and were soon joined by Bruce, Clint, and Thor. They needed to take out what remained of HYDRA and to retrieve the stolen sceptre.

So, time moved on, and, much to Steve's chagrin, James continued to spend the majority of his time with Tony down in the lab. Actually, he'd started helping out Tony and was thinking of going back to school once his life had settled down. Tony was very proud of him for that decision.

Steve, on the other hand, was not happy about this arrangement. He constantly wanted to spend his free time with James. James would spend some time with him, but he quickly figured out that Steve wasn't the same kid from Brooklyn he used to be. They'd both changed and Steve needed to realize that.

On a lighter note, both Tony and James had realized their growing attraction to each other, although neither had acted on it. Tony wasn't acting because of his own insecurities and not so great past relationships, and James wasn't acting because he wasn't sure how he should approach the situation. So maybe fate just needed to give them a push.

A literal push.

Tony had been running around the lab chasing DUM-E when James walked in looking for a nice place to read. Tony hadn't been looking where he was going and crashed into him leading the two to sprawl on top of each other on the floor. James was laid on his back with Tony on top of him. A look of surprise crossed both of their faces.

Neither was sure who started it, but one moment they were laying together on the floor blushing and the next they were kissing. The kiss started out sweet and timid but it soon turned into something so much more. Both were greatly enjoying the moment. The heat of each other's mouths was intoxicating and both wanted more. But even so, they still had to come up for air.

"Was that ok?" asked Tony as he tried to keep his blushing under control. James thought it was cute.

"More than ok." Smiled James as he looked up at Tony.

"You sure this is a good idea? It might piss off Steve."

"Then let him be pissed off. I'm happy here with you."

"Really?" asked Tony, his voice small. James just gave him another kiss to quell Tony's fears and his own.

"You gave me a home." Whispered James as he held Tony in his arms.

"You gave me a home too."

Eventually, they did get off the floor to go somewhere _more comfortable_. But in the meantime, they just enjoyed the moment. It was the little things that made them happy.

* * *

So… What do you think? I'm feeling pretty good about this one. Also, Tony totally could have fixed all the issues with Project Insight if Steve and Natasha had bothered to call him in. So, I fixed it and added a little romance. Don't be afraid to check out my other fics. I've got a great selection. I'll be seeing you all around! -Shadows


	15. Make a bad day better

Hey there! I'm bored and should be working on my other fic right now. But clearly I'm not. Enjoy a short, smutty one shot! Pairing: Winteriron Rating: M

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They'd been at it for what felt like hours already. Both of them felt the aching heat in their cores but neither made to push the other over the edge. Tony was feeling thoroughly used and open whereas Bucky was beginning to feel all his pent up energy finally relax.

They both wanted this to last.

It had all started when Tony came home from a board meeting exhausted and frustrated. Bucky had seen him arrive back at the compound and had practically cornered his boyfriend in the shower. Neither spoke as Bucky slowly peppered Tony's jaw with kisses. They didn't need to. All they needed was to relax. Tony had had a rough day at work and Bucky had a rough day training and dealing with Sam.

Tony let himself be drawn into Bucky's embrace. He felt safe there. He'd never felt like that with anyone before. Not even Pepper. Bucky's sweet little kisses soon turned hungry as his and Tony's lips met. Their hands wandered over each other's bodies as they took their time with each other. Tony's hands slid over Bucky's pecs to around his neck while Bucky's arms grasped at Tony's ass causing the smaller man to moan.

And that was when they got just a little bit impatient.

They were quick to clamber out of the shower and dry off so they could get to their bed. Sex in a bed was infinity more comfortable then sex in a shower. Bucky practically pushed Tony down onto the sheets as they climbed onto the bed. They resumed their kissing while Bucky fumbled through the nightstand for the lube.

As they kissed, Bucky situated himself comfortably between Tony's open legs. It was his favourite place to be. He loved feeling Tony's ass against his cock. The only better feeling was actually being deep inside his love.

With a quick twist of the cap, the lube was opened and Bucky was warming it up between his fingers. The ones on his metal arm of course. Tony loved when Bucky used his metal arm to open him up. Tony practically drooled when he first laid his eyes on it when they'd first met. He actually did droll just a little bit when he actually got to work on it for the first time. He was embarrassed about that moment.

Needless to say Tony loved the arm and Bucky loved that he loved that arm.

And that was never more evident when Bucky pushed in one finger and Tony's eyes rolled back in pleasure. Bucky took great care in making sure that Tony was ready to take him. Bucky was very well endowed and he never wanted to cause Tony any pain. So, he took his time and worked Tony up as much as he could. By the time Bucky was at four fingers Tony was begging and Bucky was smiling.

Once both Bucky and Tony were sure that they were ready, Tony turned onto his stomach and raised his ass into the air. Bucky loved the sight in front of him. Tony looked so perfect there and Bucky could hardly believe some days that Tony was his. He'd never felt luckier than when he was with Tony.

Bucky quickly slicked himself up and carefully pushed into Tony with a deep, guttural groan. Even with all the preparation, Tony was still so tight and warm for him. It was as if he'd died and gone to heaven. He could die right then and there and be perfectly content.

They stayed joined together for a moment, just enjoying the sensations of being joined together before the sweet sounds Tony was making spurred Bucky onward. Every moment he made was gentle. They both wanted to draw this out. They wanted to enjoy every second they had together. With every passing second, they could feel the worries of the day slipping away into oblivion while they made love to each other. Bucky covered Tony's neck with kisses and hickies while Tony cried out and tightened further around Bucky when he hit his sweet spot.

It was slow as the two reached their peaks. Each movement had the other drawing closer and closer, yet never falling over the edge completely. Each of Bucky's slow thrusts hit Tony's prostate dead on and each time Tony moaned and tightened around him. They whispered sweet nothings to each other as they finally fell over the edge of pleasure. Tony came first with a whisper of Bucky's name. Bucky followed seconds after Tony had tightened around him and milked him for all he was worth.

After taking a second to recuperate, Bucky gently pulled out of Tony's abused hole and fell to the mattress. He grabbed a few tissues from the nightstand so he and Tony could clean each other up from their escapades.

Neither said a word as Bucky pulled Tony to his chest. Tony ended up with his head pillowed over his heart as he just listened to it beat. Bucky ran his hands through Tony's hair and the two just enjoyed the afterglow of their coupling. It always felt amazing when they were together. They really understood each other. They knew what it was like to be broken and built back together again. They knew what it was like to be used. They knew what it was like to feel lost. But they'd found each other, and they were slowly healing.

They both fell asleep knowing that they loved each other. More than anything, they loved each other.

* * *

Well, that was a thing. I hope you enjoyed my thing. Check out my other works of you liked this one. I'll see you around. -Shadows


	16. All for you my love

I did a thing. I did a very smutty thing. I did a very smutty thing because I'm bored and had an idea. Please, enjoy my thing. To Emmie. Here's some motivation to keep on writing! Pairing Stony. Rated M

* * *

They had discussed everything beforehand. Everything from Tony's safe word to how things would play out. Steve wanted to make sure that Tony was safe and Tony wanted to make sure that Steve was happy. They got everything worked out in the end. That was why Tony had his wrists tied to the bed and a black, silk blindfold over his eyes.

"You make such a pretty sight there Tony. So pretty laying there just for me." Cooed Steve as he finally shed his clothes and got into the bed next to Tony. "Now remember what we talked about. I don't wanna hear you say a thing unless it's your safe word. Just wanna hear all those pretty little sounds you make."

Tony nodded in response to Steve's words. He couldn't see him because of the blindfold, but Tony was sure that Steve was blushing a bit as he spoke. Steve always blushed when he talked dirty.

Steve started the night off slow. He wanted to savour this. He started with running his hands gently over Tony's body, causing the man to shiver. Steve's hands traced the shin around the arc reactor and he lowered his head to suck at his nipples. Tony let out a little moan and Steve smiled as one of his hands went to go pinch at the other.

But Steve didn't stop there. His hands and tongue continued to wander over Tony's body and somehow, Tony managed to remain still the whole time. But, he almost lost his control when Steve's mouth closed around his aching cock. Tony almost screamed and bucked loose of his bindings but Steve held him down.

"Shh, darlin'. You're alright. Gonna make you feel good." Soothed Steve as he pulled off of Tony's cock and breathed warm air over his open thighs. Tony could do nothing but nod as Steve got back to work worshipping his body.

"I love the sounds you make sweet thing. Knowing they're just for me makes them even sweeter." Cooed Steve as he reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the lube he'd put there earlier. "I love you thighs. Love being between them while I'm making love to you. I can feel how strong you are." Steve squeezed some lube onto his fingers and began to warm it up. "And I love your ass. I'm never happier than when I'm buried inside you. Such a sweet thing for me. My sweet Tony. So perfect."

Tony absolutely melted at Steve's words. Sure he'd received compliments on his body before, but they were different coming from Steve. Steve was the man who'd fallen in love with him. They'd been through so much together. Knowing that Steve loved him, body, mind, and soul always made Tony feel like putty in Steve's hands.

Tony was pulled out of his reverie by the feeling of Steve gently circling his lubed up fingers around his entrance. He let out another sweet moan and Steve smiled.

"There we go darlin'. Gonna get you nice and open for me. Never gonna hurt you sweetheart. Just gonna make you feel good." Cooed Steve as he flowed began to finger Tony open.

The whole time, Tony just laid there with his legs spread wide open so Steve could enjoy the view. He had to hold Tony's hips down with his free hand to keep Tony grounded and Steady, but they both enjoyed every minute of the exquisite torture. After a little while, Tony was well prepared and practically sobbing with need. Steve knew it was time.

"You ready for my cock sweetheart? You ready to feel good?" spoke Steve, his breath heady and mind foggy.

Tony nodded and Steve slowly began to push inside the wet, warm heat. Tony let out a silent scream while Steve cried out his own pleasure. It took a moment, but soon Steve was fully seated inside of his love and both were breathing heavily.

"You're so tight Tony. So good for me. So sweet darlin'."

And then Steve began to move. Steve began to move and Tony's mind turned to mush. All of his nerve endings were lit aflame with pleasure as Steve pounded into him. The roughness was a stark contrast to the gentle touches that had happened earlier, but Tony wasn't complaining. He loved being used by Steve. He loved the pleasure it brought both of them.

But, with all the care Steve had taken to make Tony feel absolutely amazing, it also lead to everything culminating very fast. Tony had been on the edge of release for most of the time they'd been in bed together, and Steve hitting him in all the right places was sending his mind spinning onto the depths of pleasure.

"You getting' close there darlin'? You need to cum? Fuck! Cum on my cock sweet thing. Cum for me Tony." Moaned Steve as he sped up his own thrusts.

Tony came crying out Steve's name as Steve held him down and sucked hickies into his neck. There were tears in his eyes that wet the blindfold around his eyes. His legs shook with the intensity and his arms pulled at their restraints.

Steve followed a moment later with a cry of his own. Steve always got off on seeing Tony cum. He loved how deliciously tight he got and how blissed out his face became. Seeing Tony fall into pleasure was one of the best feelings in the world for Steve.

As the two lay breathing amongst the sheets, Steve peppered little kisses over Tony collarbone and cheeks. He ran his hands soothingly along Tony's sides in an effort to help Tony calm down. After a moment, Steve pulled himself free from Tony's body with a grunt as he went to go grab a wet towel to clean them up.

Upon his return, Steve wiped down their bodies and chucked the used towel across the room. That could be a problem for the morning. For now, Steve only cared about Tony and making him comfortable. He removed the blindfold and gently brushed the tears from Tony's eyes. Tony didn't even bother to open his eyes. He was already wrung out and tired and just completely blissed out. Steve just smiled down at him and continued making Tony comfortable.

Steve gently removed Tony's wrists from their bindings and rubbed in some honey-scented lotion to soothe the marks there from the ties. He dropped a kiss to each of Tony's knuckles with a smile before he laid down and pulled Tony into his arms.

"You did so good my love. So good. You get some rest now. I'll be right here. I'll always be here for you my love." Cooed Steve.

And with that, Tony fell into a restful sleep with Steve keeping him loved and safe. They wouldn't have it any other way.


	17. Sweet Child of Mine

Hey guys! I did a thing! It's angsty and throws cannon out the window. Enjoy the thing! Pairing: Stucky. Rated T. Warnings for child abuse.

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Steve stared down at the tiny infant in his arms and wondered how things got so bad. It had seemed like a normal call out. The Avengers were called out to deal with Amora. Thor's weird-ass stalker who was convinced that she was going to marry him and rule the nine realms at his side. Thor was very much against this so here they were.

Fighting a goddess who really liked to mess with people. Liked to ruin their lives.

Steve wasn't entirely sure what had happened. One minute he was shouting at Thor and Bucky to get into position and for Thor to try and get closer and the next he was shouting as Tony and Rhodey were hit by a bright, white beam from Amora. Amora had disappeared pretty fast after that.

Everyone had gone running to the fallen Avenger's sides. They were all worried, especially Steve. He was the leader of the team and took every injury on as his responsibility. Although, he didn't know how to handle the situation at hand at all. When they got to the fallen armours and opened them op to check on their teammates, they were met with quite the sight.

Laying there in the suits was a four-year-old Rhodey and an infant Tony.

They were quick to get the shrunken Avengers back to the compound. The whole time little Rhodey was crying for his mama while Bucky held him. Steve had Tony in his arms. The infant made no noise other than a tiny little whimper when Steve had initially picked him up.

Things very quickly got worse when Thor stepped in the jet after failing to catch Amora. He came with some news. Bad news. You see, Thor was very familiar with the spell Amora had used on their teammates. He'd seen it used before. Tony and Rhodey had been de-aged quite a bit. And the worst part about that was… it was permanent. They would retain a few of their adult memories, but that was it. They'd been de-aged to the exact way their bodies were at the age they'd been brought down too. Hence why Rhodey had said he was four and a half and had said the scrape in his knee was from tripping while running after a ball.

Tony was harder to pin down. He looked like a newborn. He was impossibly small in Steve's arms as he took him to medical. The doctor got to preforming some tests to find things out that they'd need to know and the whole time Tony didn't cry. Steve hated that. Babies were supposed to cry when they were hurting.

And boy was baby Tony hurting.

To start off, the doctor had pegged Tony's age at about two months old. That was the only neutral news that Steve got. Then the bad news started. Tony's legs and arms were littered with bruises. He had bad diaper rash and was absolutely starving. His weight was way lower then it should have been and his growth was a little behind. That was why Tony was the size of a newborn. With some help, Steve was able to give the hungry baby a small bottle that was practically guzzled down.

And that was where Steve was now. Sitting in medical with baby Tony in his arms trying not to think about the implications as to why Tony was like this. Of course, the more Steve thought the more he understood what had happened.

If Steve could go back in time he would absolutely murder Howard Stark.

Tony had never said anything explicitly, but the few times Steve or Bucky had brought Howard up in conversation Tony had either gone silent or on the defensive. They later learned from Rhodey and Pepper that Howard had not been a good father to Tony. They never said anything of what had happened but the haunted look in Rhodey's eyes spoke to the man probably seeing some of the horrors Tony went through. The fact that any abuse Tony had suffered had apparently started at birth was hard to stomach.

God, it made Steve feel terrible. He'd been a right ass to Tony when they first met. He'd compared him to Howard before and yelled at him so many times on the field and back at the compound. Steve wished he'd never acted the way he had. And how he couldn't even apologize. Their Tony was gone and replaced with this tiny little baby who didn't cry and was hurting.

They were lucky that they had a few baby things there at the compound. When Clint's wife had given birth to their youngest son, Tony had made sure that there were some diapers and such around in case they came by to visit. So, Tony now as a baby had a fresh diaper and a warm blanket. At least he had that going for him.

Fortunately for Steve, he didn't have to dwell on things for too long. After a few hours of sitting in medical with the baby, Bucky walked in. Steve didn't notice at first. He was too wrapped up with the infant in his arms. It was only when Bucky leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead when Steve realized he was no longer alone.

"How's Rhodey?" asked Steve before Bucky could ask him anything.

"Birdbrain is stuffing the tyke full of ice cream. He's fine. A little shaken and still asking for his mom, but he's fine. He recognizes us so that confirms what Thor said on the jet." Explained Bucky as he pulled up a seat next to his partner.

They'd finally gotten together just a year ago. Steve had finally found him after the fall of SHIELD and brought him to the tower so he could heal. Tony had helped of course. Plus having an extra hand around had come in handy in keeping Ultron from escaping the tower. Ultron hadn't been Tony's fault. When they managed to trap the program they found out that it had activated itself from something hidden deep in Loki's sceptre that fed off of Tony's fears. Having Bucky fight alongside the team had allowed Tony to stop the program before it could escape into the internet. Everyone was thankful for that.

"And how's this little guy?" asked Bucky pulling Steve out of his reverie once more. And that was when Steve lost any composure he had left. A few tears fell from his eyes as he looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms.

"It's bad Buck. It's really bad. He's covered in bruises. He's got diaper rash. He's starving. That's why he's so small. He wasn't being fed enough."

"Hey, hey. He'll be alright punk. He's got us now. We'll get him nice and fed and comfortable." Soothed Bucky as he reached out and ran a hand over baby Tony's head.

"It's just… I feel horrible. I didn't treat him right before. I wasn't the nicest, especially once I found you. And now that I know that Howard abused him and probably kept him from his mother… I just… I just feel like a horrible person."

Steve was full-on crying by the time he was done talking. Bucky just held him and made sure that Tony was secure in their arms.

"We're gonna take care of them, Stevie. Tony and Rhodey. We're gonna make sure they're taken care of. Now, how about we get out of here and back to the living area. We can get you some food and I know for a fact that some of the others went shopping for baby things. Plus Rhodey has been asking for Tony. I guess one of the memories he retained was Tony. So what do you say? Shall we go?"

Steve nodded and dried his eyes with his free hand. He slowly got up and walked down the hall with Bucky back towards the main living room where Clint and Bruce were sitting on the floor with toddler-sized Rhodey building Legos and munching away at Thor's "hidden" pop tart stash.

"Hey there buddy. You having fun there?" asked Bucky as he knelt down beside where Rhodey was playing. Steve sat on the couch nearby with Tony still sound asleep in his arms.

"Yeah. Is baby okay?" asked Rhodey and everyone's hearts melted with how cute he was.

"He is. He's just sleeping there with Stevie. See?"

Bucky gestured to where Steve was sitting with the baby in his arms and Rhodey instantly climbed onto the couch and sat beside them.

"You gots to be careful and nice to him. His last daddy wasn't nice." Spoke Rhodey somberly and that just made everyone else sad. They really hoped that the memories that the two tiny Avengers had weren't all bad ones. But the fact that Rhodey knew how bad Tony had had it under Howard's care just spoke to how close they were. Nobody else knew, but Rhodey did.

"Don't worry bud. Tony will be safe here with all of us. Now, why don't you go play some more with Clint while we adults talk about boring things? Alright?" asked Bucky and little Rhodey nodded and went back to his game. Soon enough the other adults, including Pepper and Happy who had arrived and been caught up on things not even 10 minutes ago.

"So… what are we going to do?" asked Sam as he looked at the sleeping infant in Steve's arms.

"Raise them. Take care of them. Make sure they're happy. Make sure they feel safe." Spoke Bucky as he took his seat beside where Steve was sitting.

"I'll have to go talk to the board for SI." Said Pepper as she hovered close by. "I'll need to take full ownership until Tony is old enough again. We're lucky he has so many designed ready to go so we can roll things out over time so I doubt the company will have any problems. I'm just glad that Tony might get to have a better childhood this time around."

"He will. Between all of us, he'll be safe this time." Sighed Steve. He couldn't take his eyes off of Tony.

The adults talked for a little while longer before Pepper, Happy, Natasha, and Sam went off to go buy the things they would need now that they had two kids to take care of. Bucky moved onto the floor to play with Rhodey while the others worked on getting dinner ready. Steve remained with Tony on the couch. He was starting to fuss a bit and Steve wondered if he would actually cry for what he needed. The doctor had said that Tony's lack of crying was most likely from nobody responding to him when he needed things. Steve was bound and determined to change that. He wasn't going to let Tony suffer anymore. Never again.

Tony woke up long enough for Steve to change him and give him a bottle before he went back to sleep. By then, everyone was back home, things had been set up for the tiny Avengers, and dinner was ready. Everyone tried to keep up a jovial attitude for Rhodey's sake. They didn't need the four-year-old to see how upset they all were over the situation. Well, at least having a small child around gave everyone the excuse to indulge in mac and cheese and dino nuggets.

Not long after dinner, Bucky and Steve managed to get both Tony and Rhodey all dressed and ready for bed. Rhodey was out like a light but Tony was awake again and just laying in his new crib watching the little stars and planets on his mobile. He seemed calm and not in distress or in any pain so Steve sat off to the side and just watched. He just needed Tony to be ok. He's fucked up with him in the past and was terrified he'd do it again. Especially when Tony was now so vulnerable.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Soothed Bucky as he walked into the room and gave Steve a hug. Steve just nodded. He wasn't in the mood to argue otherwise.

"We're gonna take care of them, Steve. Tony and Rhodey will be safe with us. They'll be safe."

Steve nodded once more and got up to follow Bucky out of the room. It had been an exhausting day and he really needed some sleep. So, he and Bucky climbed into bed and turned out the lights, but not before Steve made sure that the new baby monitor was on and working and Tony was sleeping soundly. He fell into a restless sleep worrying about what the future would bring.

88888888888888888888888888

Bucky and Steve had had Tony and Rhodey in their care for two weeks before the media caught onto things and a press conference was demanded. In that time there were a few adjustments that happened. First, Rhodey started going by Jamie because that was his nickname when he was little. Second, Sam was put on as a more permanent member of the team to cover their now lack of areal support. And third, Steve and Bucky now took turns staying home with the kids if there was a call out.

Jamie was a pretty happy kid. He loved playing and colouring and mac and cheese. He was generally a ball of laughs but never really strayed far from Tony's side. Tony was just as silent as he had been when he was de-aged. He started cooing a bit and gurgling, but he still wasn't crying. They brought Tony back to the doctors to find out if there was anything wrong that would prevent Tony from crying. They were told that it was most likely from crying but not having needs met. They'd just need to keep an eye on Tony and make sure that all his needs were met and that he felt safe.

In that time Bucky and Steve were also presented with the option of becoming Tony and Jamie's legal guardians. Because of the nature of the situation, everyone agreed that it was probably better for the little ones to stay with the Avengers. They'd were better prepared to deal with things if anything changed. Bucky and Steve were quick to say yes and take the kids as their own.

And that was why they were at this press conference. To tell the world what had happened to Tony and Jamie and that Bucky and Steve would be taking care of them. Pepper and Natasha were the ones who did all the explaining to the crowd while Bucky and Steve stayed behind a curtain with the kids. Bucky was sitting on the floor with Jamie playing some sort of game and Steve sat down with a sleeping Tony in his arms. The baby was wearing those huge headphones that cancel out the noise so that all the reporters and yelling didn't wake him up. Tony sure slept a lot but they were told that this was normal and he'd start being awake more now that he was being cared for and his needs were being met.

All too soon it was time for Bucky and Steve to take the little ones out to meet the word. Nobody was excited about it but they knew nobody would believe the situation without proof. So, on their cue, They brought the kids out to flashing cameras. Jamie definitely wasn't a big fan of all the flashing and buried his head in Bucky's shoulder to avoid everything going on.

Neither Bucky nor Steve really said anything when they were up there. They answered a few questions and let the world know that Jamie and Tony were going to be protected by them and the other Avengers. There were a few negative comments but they were shut down pretty quick. Most people knew better than to piss off the Winter Soldier.

So, with the world now aware of the new situation with the Avengers, things continued on. They were still all in a huge adjustment period, but so far nothing bad had happened. Well, other then Jamie tripping and scraping his knee. But little kids get small cuts and scrapes all the time so nobody was really concerned. Everything was better after the tyke was given a band-aid and a cookie.

But other then that, both Jamie and Tony were healthy and happy. Well, it was hard to tell if Tony was happy because he was still so small, but there was nothing wrong with him that warranted concern. Tony mostly slept and ate and sort of played with a few soft things. He slept the best when he was cuddled up with Steve. Steve may or may not be holding that fact over Bucky's head. He was totally Tony's favourite.

When Tony was three and a half months old, he cried for the first time since getting de-aged. It was late at night and Bucky and Steve were half asleep after trying to get Jamie to actually go to bed. They'd given him a bath, read him a story, and then chased the little hellion around the compound after he decided that he wanted to play even though it was way past his bedtime.

But hey, nobody said raising a toddler was easy.

Finally, after Jamie was asleep and tuckered out, Bucky and Steve headed back to their own room to unwind for the night. Bucky wanted to get some reading done and Steve wanted to finish up some art pieces he was doing for the kid's rooms. They were both working quietly when they heard some sounds on the other end of the baby monitor they kept on them.

"Is… is that crying?" asked Steve as he picked up the monitor to hear better.

"I… I think it is. JARVIS? Is that crying?" asked Bucky.

"Yes, Sargent. Little Sir started crying precisely one minute and twenty seconds ago." Replied the AI and the pair's eyes widened.

"Oh god he's crying!" shouted Steve and soon they were racing off to Tony's room to see what was wrong.

When they got to the room Steve and Bucky were met with the sounds of a very unhappy infant. Tony was in his crib crying up a storm. Steve instantly picked him up to soothe him while Bucky tried to figure out what was wrong. Tony didn't have a dirty diaper and he wasn't gassy. The poor thing just needed some cuddles. Cuddled that Bucky and Steve were happy to give.

"Well, at least he trusts us enough to cry. I didn't feel right not having a baby cry when they needed something." Spoke Steve as he set Tony back in his crib. He'd fallen back asleep after being rocked and sung to for the last half hour.

"Agreed. I didn't like it when he wasn't responding to things."

The two slept with one ear open that night to listen for Tony's cries. Neither had any problems comforting the tiny thing when he needed it.

Time passed and the Avengers got into a routine now that they had kids all over the compound. Clint moved in with his wife and kids. It was a little rough sometimes having five kids around, but it brought that team some joy when they'd come back from battles.

Despite Tony now being six months old, he was still pretty small for his age. The doctor said he was alright, and Tony was hitting all his other milestones so they weren't too worried. Tony was short as an adult anyway. Jamie, on the other hand, was growing like a weed. They already needed to buy the kid some new clothes because he grew out of the ones they'd got him when he first got de-aged.

Actually, Bucky and Steve ended up getting their charges a lot of things. New toys and games. New clothes. Steve almost caved and got them a puppy but Natasha talked him out of it which made him and Clint sad because they also wanted a puppy.

One thing that nobody had a problem with was the frequent park excursions. It was harder once the snow started falling, but Laura Barton was able to introduce them all to the wonder of indoor playgrounds. The Avengers ended up taking the kids at least once a week to burn off all their energy from being cooped up inside. Clint and Bucky would go run around with Cooper, Lila, and Jamie while Steve and Laura sat in the seating area and played a little bit with Nathaniel and Tony. They played a lot of blocks. Like, a lot of blocks. Tony really loved blocks.

They were at the indoor playground one afternoon when Steve had his first run-in with a "Karen". Laura had left for a moment to go change Nate leaving Steve there with Tony while the other kids played. Steve was just minding his own business and playing with Tony when an older woman approached him with a scowl on her face.

"Excuse me sir, but you shouldn't have such a young baby here." Spoke the woman and Steve knew in just from the way she worded things that she had no clue who he was.

"Last I checked babies over the age of four months were allowed in this area." Spoke Steve as he looked back at Tony.

"Well then leave. Your baby is clearly too young to be here."

"No, ma'am. Tony here is six months old. He's just fine." Replied Steve. He really hoped that Laura would come back soon.

"Well, he's too small. Clearly you aren't caring for him." Snapped the woman and Steve almost lost it.

"For your information when my partner and I adopted him and his brother he was in a bad situation. He's healthy now but a little behind in growth. Mind your own business and stop judging people without all the information." Snapped Steve.

The woman stood there aghast while Steve picked up his and Laura's things and moved himself and Tony to a new location. He tolled Laura what had happened when she returned. She couldn't help but glare over at the woman when Steve was done talking.

They didn't stay at the playground for much longer after that. Not because of that woman, but because Jamie and Lila were tired and the babies were practically falling asleep.

The year continued on and Steve could honestly say that he was actually happy. He was happy that he had Bucky by his side and in his heart. He was happy that Jamie was a bouncing, bubbly little boy. He was happy that Tony was getting the care and love he never got the first time around. He was honestly happy.

He had a family. He had kids that he never thought he'd have. Sure, he missed adult Tony and Jamie with a passion, but if he could give them love and happiness like this, then he'd take it. And who knows, maybe they'd grow up to change the world all over again. Between the two of them, Steve wasn't doubting it.


	18. Forget-Me-Not

It's Tony Stark's birthday today so y'all know what that means. Angsty birthday fic time! Enjoy!

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When Tony woke up on the morning of May 29th, he honestly thought that this birthday would be better than any of the others he'd had. Growing up Tony's birthday wasn't celebrated by his family. The day was a spectacle, but it wasn't really about Tony. Howard and Maria Stark would parade him around at galas to show all the old men that Tony was well behaved and would listen to them when he took over SI when he was older.

A lot of that was probably the cause of his rebellion when he reached 14 and was sent off to MIT far too young and all alone.

He never really got presents either. Ana and Edwin Jarvis would make him a cake to enjoy when he got back far to late from those galas. That was always nice. Tony liked cake. Especially chocolate cake. But, after they died that all stopped and Tony was stuck with the galas. He couldn't even escape them when he was at MIT. Rhodey had tried to celebrate him a few times but Tony was always dragged away to play nice with old coots with too much money.

Most of those nights he'd just get drunk and ignore everything going on around him.

And that really didn't change after Howard and Maria died. Tony stopped having those stupid galas and just opted to throw giant parties and consume ridiculous amounts of alcohol. Tony didn't particularly enjoy this setup. He wasn't too comfortable with sleeping around and drinking so much, but he'd cultivated an image and Stane had continued to push Tony to maintain it. Tony knew now that Stane was just using him and the thought still hurt.

Tony could say for sure that the worst birthday he had was in the god damn cave. The same day he turned 38 years old he had Yinson's hand in his chest readjusting the new arc reactor that Tony had created. A wire had corroded and needed to be fixed. It was one of the worst feelings in his life.

His next birthday wasn't much better. He was dying and felt pressured by everyone to throw a huge party again. Nobody really knew he was dying. In an effort to keep the world from being even more angry and disappointed in him, Tony threw the party and got absolutely wasted and ended up fighting his best friend. And to top it off the next day he found out that Natasha was spying on him and that SHIELD knew he was dying and had some solutions and things for him yet they waited until the very last possible second to give them to him.

It hurt. It really did.

So, Tony didn't really have a great track record with birthdays. But this time around he had plenty of people he wanted to consider friends with him as well as his totally amazing girlfriend Pepper. The day felt great, the sun was shining, he actually got some sleep the night before. But when Tony rolled over and saw the other side of the bed was empty it very quickly went downhill. Pepper should have gotten home from her business trip late the night before but she was noticeably absent. Tony rolled over to check his phone and saw a message waiting there for him.

Pepper: Sorry Tony. My flight got delayed because there's a storm rolling in. We'll celebrate together tomorrow. I'll call you once I land. Love you.

Tony frowned as he looked at it. He knew some times things like this were unavoidable, but he still wished that Pepper was there. He always felt sad and lonely when she wasn't there. It also didn't really help that Rhodey was currently deployed and Happy was with Pepper. So, it was just going to be Tony and the other Avengers for the day. No matter. Everything could be salvaged.

So, Tony got up, took a very quick shower, threw on some comfortable clothes, and made his way to the common area to make some breakfast. When he arrived the others were already sitting down and just finishing their breakfast. Tony was a bit disappointed that they didn't wait for him. He poured himself a large cup of coffee and took his seat.

"So, guys, what's the plan for the day?" asked Tony as he looked at everyone.

"Training. We need new upgrades on our gear Stark." Spoke Steve as he finished taking an incredibly large bite of eggs.

"I'll get those started tomorrow morning. I was planning on taking a bit of a lazy day for once." Spoke Tony as it became very clear that none of them had really remembered that it was his birthday.

"Wow, Stark. That's incredibly selfish. What if we get a call out tomorrow? We need new gear." Spat Natasha and Tony's heart sank a little bit.

"Look, it's just one day off. I hardly ever take those. I work literally every single day and almost every single night. I don't think one day will hurt." Protected Tony and he got a few funny looks back from some of the others.

"Do you even care about this team Stark?" sneered Steve and Tony tried to keep his face from falling.

"Of course I do. I just…"

"No. If you cared you'd be down in that lab of yours working. Real heroes don't take breaks."

Tony didn't really have a reply to those harsh words. If he spoke up to defend himself he'd just invite more shouting and possibly getting kicked off of the team he was already in a very tentative place with. Despite never really showing it, Natasha's profile of him hurt and having Steve around just dug up all the old insecurities Howard had planted in his mind all throughout his youth. So, without even grabbing something to eat, Tony sighed, stood up, and sulked down to his lab.

"Well, Happy Birthday to me I guess." Sighed Tony as he got into the elevator.

Tony worked in silence for a good hour. He was all by himself with nobody to talk to except JARVIS and his bots. It was kind of sad. No, scratch that. It wasn't kind of sad. It was sad. It was so sad that Tony didn't really get any actual work done. He just sat there and let his mind wander and dwell on all his mistakes. He knew that nobody really liked him, but it still hurt to be treated like garbage by the people he should trust.

As Tony sat there and pondered the very fabric of his existence he failed to notice that Bruce had entered the lab. He was there standing there with a small wrapped gift in one hand and a plate of snacks in the other. Bruce had been warry when he entered the lab. He had a feeling that Tony would be in a foul mood after what had occurred in the kitchen but he hadn't expected the sullen silence that filled the normally lively lab space.

"Hey, Tony. Happy Birthday." Spoke Bruce as he walked in closer and got Tony's attention.

"Oh, hey Bruce. What's up?" asked Tony as he looked up at his friend.

"Just wanted to give you this and to see if you were up for some fun science stuff." Smiled Bruce as he put the wrapped gift on the bench next to Tony. He knew Tony had a thing for being handed things because of a few incidents from his childhood.

"You… you got me a present?" asked Tony as he picked up the present gingerly.

"Of course I did. You're my best friend Tony." Smiled Bruce and Tony's eyes shone.

Tony ripped the paper off of the present and smiled with glee when he saw what was inside. It was a new screwdriver set done up in Iron Man and Hulk colours.

"I love it! Thank you so much Brucy." Spoke Tony as he pulled his friend into a hug.

"I'm glad you like it. Now how about we ditch this and go do something fun?" smiled Bruce and Tony's face fell a bit.

"I need to get the new upgrades done for the others. I'm not really a big fan of getting yelled at for not working. Reminds me too much of Howard." Sighed Tony and Bruce frowned.

"Screw that. We're leaving and having fun. It's your birthday. You made sure that I had fun on my birthday and I'm going to do the same."

Tony didn't have much room for argument as Bruce grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the lab and down towards the one Tony had set up for him. The two spent the morning making increasingly complex Rube-Goldberg machines just to do simple tasks. They even filmed a few of their attempts to post on social media. Tony was actually having a great time. He was happy and was actually able to put the arguments of that morning behind him.

Well, until the two of them surfaced for lunch.

Tony couldn't quite recall what exactly had happened. One minute he and Bruce were laughing and searching for snacks in the kitchen and the next Tony was being berated by the others for not working once again. All the yelling just made Tony exhausted. He was so sick and tired of all the yelling. He'd grown up surrounded by yelling. All his adult years had been filled with yelling for one thing or another. He was just so sick and tired of it.

"Incoming call from Ms. Potts, Sir." Came JARVIS's voice though the tower's speaker system interrupting the loud voices of the other Avengers filling the room. Tony smiled a bit bitterly but answered the phone. He really missed Pepper and it would be nice to hear her voice.

"Hey Pep." Smiled Tony as he answered the call.

"Hey, Tony. Happy Birthday. Sorry, I'm not there."

"It's alright. I know how flights can be. I can't wait till you're home though. I miss you."

"I miss you too. Are you around everyone else?" asked Pepper and Tony frowned.

"Yes… Why?"

"Put me on speaker Tony. I wanna talk to everyone."

"Are you sure?" asked Tony. He was hesitant to follow that request.

"Of course." Tony sighed again.

"If you insist." Tony pulled his phone away from his ear and put it on speakerphone.

"Hello everyone." Came Pepper's chipper voice thought the phone and a few of the other Avengers gave a greeting back.

"Hello, Ms. Potts. How are you doing?" asked Steve ever the gentleman.

"I'm doing alright. I was just calling to see how everything was going. Is everyone having fun? Please tell me you saved me a piece of cake."

"What cake?" asked Steve, the confusion clear in his face.

"Tony's birthday cake of course. I made sure it was delivered for today."

"That was a birthday cake? I thought it was just there to eat." Spoke up Clint though he didn't look the least bit guilty.

Pepper was silent on the other end for a moment before she spoke up again. Her voice was eerily flat and Tony just knew that she knew things weren't right at the tower.

"Tony… what's going on?"

"Pep, it's fine. It doesn't matter." Spoke Tony hurriedly

"It does matter Tony. Obviously, something is wrong. You deserve a good birthday for once. We'll talk when I get home, alright?"

"Yeah… alright. Love you Pep."

"Love you too Tony." And with that, the line went dead.

Everyone just sort of stood around silently for a moment. Tony and Bruce were working on staying calm while the others absorbed the information they had just received. There were a lot of emotions running around in that room. Some were angry. Some were sad. There was a huge air of disappointment and slight disapproval. The room stunk of hurt emotions.

"You could have at least told us it was your birthday." Spoke Steve as he gave what Tony called "The eyebrows of disapproval".

"And what would you guys have done with that information. It's clear that none of you guys, bar my Brucy Bear, even give a shit about me to allow me even one day off."

Nobody knew how to respond to what Tony had said. He was right. They hadn't even allowed him one lousy day off despite all the work Tony did. The fact made them all feel horrible and none of them knew how to process it. If it had been anyone else on the team they would have known it was their birthday and celebrated with them. They would have given them time off and made them feel happy and special for the day.

So why was that different for Tony?

It really all came down to the prejudice they all had against him from Natasha's profile she made on him. The profile she made while Tony was sick and dying. It came from the old gossip articles printed about Tony when he was a grieving young adult after his parents died and he had to inherit a major weapons company well before he was ready. They never took the chance to get to know who Tony actually was. And now Tony was continuing to pay the price for that.

"I'm… I'm sorry Tony." Spoke Steve as he looked back at the man.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it when I'm not being treated like a person." Sighed Tony.

Tony allowed Bruce to lead him out of the room while the others stood there in shock over what had transpired. They knew they needed to fix this. They just didn't know how. But Tony didn't know what they were thinking or feeling. He was just upset and intent on curling up somewhere with Bruce and doing something mind-numbing and happy.

Tony spent the rest of the evening curled up with Bruce in his lab. They worked on a few projects and munching on take-out and some cupcakes that they ordered. It was better then nothing and Tony was just grateful to have someone around who cared. It may not have been a good birthday, but at least now Tony knew who he could truly trust. He had his people and he could be happy with that.

At least he had that. Close friends and an amazing girlfriend. It was more then he could ever ask for.

* * *

Yes, this was angsty. But what do you expect from me? There's always some sort of angst in my works. Plus I'm still salty over Endgame and the Avenger's treatment of Tony throughout the movies. So, maybe I'm projecting a bit. Oh well, at least in fanfiction Toy is still alive. I'll see y'all around. -Shadows


End file.
